This is MY Team
by TrueNight1025
Summary: One day, someone walks in th SRU HQ and asks Winnie "where's Parker?" There's a new member for Team One. Slowly learning her origins, the team learns that this sweet girl even has dark secrets.
1. Humble Beginnings

_**I do not own Flashpoint or anything belonging to it except the character Cassidy Maclaren.**_

_"Another day," _thought Winnie as she walked into HQ. She always got there before anyone else. She went to her locker and took off her tight jeans and t-shirt and put on her police uniform. She left the locker room and saw Ed coming in as she was sitting down.

"How's it going, Winnie?" He asked happily.

"Pretty good so far," she replied. She put on her headset and started to do paperwork that shdo didn't do last night and told herself she'd do today.

The rest of the team eventually got the HQ, saying hi to Winnie when they passed her. Spike always talked to Winnie when he got into his uniform. They talked about his mom in Italy and Winnie debating whether she should keep her hair curly or straight. Just when Spike was about to leave the desk, they heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Excuse me, but is Greg Parker here?" Both cops looked up and saw a woman with firy red hair and glasses to match. Spike noticed her red lipstick that complemented her _very well _Spike thought.

"Ugh... Yeah," Spike replied after a moment of shock. He called out for the Sarge and he came out, smiling at the redhead.

"You came," Greg said to her. "Ready for your first day?" Spike looked at him in confusion. "Oh sorry, this is Cassidy Maclaren. She's going to join Team One. Cassidy, this is..." Greg trailed off his sentence to let Spike finish it.

"Spike!" He said in excitement.

"Nice to meet you, Spike." She replied as she held ou ther hand. Spike took it and shook it. Her grip was nice and tight. He noticed that her left nostril had a stud piercing. _Wow, she's really pretty. _Greg broke the stare Spike was giving as he took Cassidy into the SRU for a tour. Cassidy met Ed the team leader, Sam the sniper, Leah and Jules the second negotiator.

"Now that we have done introductions, let's see if your skills are up to par." Greg said to her. She smiled and the team took her to the gun cage to check her shooting. They put on protective ear gear as Greg told her to just do her best. She picked up the 9mm and aimed it at the white target. She fired the gun and hit the sheet. She kept shooting, maintaining her breathing and concentrating on her grip. She emptied the clip and Greg brought the sheet close for everyone to see. Once up close, they saw all the bullets hit the centre, except one which was in the target's forehead, her first shot. She put the gun down and everyone was in shock, even Ed (he thought he was the only one that could hit the killpoint the first time).

"What's next?" Cassidy asked as she walked towards the door. The others just stared at her in respect.

For the rest of the day, the team trained Cassidy, wondering where she came from. Spike thought for a second that she was an offspring of Superman and Wonder Woman. By the end of shift, Ed suggested that they all go to the Goose for a round. Everyone agreed, but Cassidy said that, since she was new to the city, she didn't know where that was. Ed told her to follow him in their cars. She agreed and everyone got changed into casual clothes. When Cassidy came out, she was wearing black dress pants and dark blue, sparkly blouse. No one really saw her until they all got to the Goose. Most raised an eyebrow but Spike could only stare at her (he knew it wasn't polite to stare but he couldn't help himself.)

"You know, if you keep staring at me you might burn a hole in my head, and we don't want that now do we?" She asked Spike jokingly. He shook himself out of the phase and joined everyone else in conversation, the topic being the new girl.

Every one was asking questions:

"Where did you come from? (Sam)

How did you learn to shoot that well? (Ed)

Where did you work before? (Jules)

Why did you pick here? (Greg)

What do you like to do in your spare time? (Leah)

Is that your natural colour?" (Spike)

Cassidy pointed to each person, answering their questions:

"I was born in Kitchener.

I learn from the best.

I worked at the FBI in Sarnia.

There was a case where the FBI from Quantico, Virginia had to come. Some guy made his mentally-ill brother bring druggies, prostitutes and the homeless to Canada to get their bone marrow. They lived on a pig farm so you can guess what he did to them. Eighty-nine shoes we found in a garbage bin, so that's when I decided I wanted to help people who were still alive. So I looked and there was an opening here. Not to mention I always wanted to live in Toronto.

I play violin and do a lot of arts.

And THAT is none of your business!" Cassidy said jokingly.

Everyone laughed at that last sentence, making Spike blush.

Eventually everyone went home. When Spike got to his apartment, he got ready for bed and plonked down on the mattress, thinking about the new girl. He wrapped himself in his comforter and thought about how much fun it would be with someone else on the team... And so pretty too.


	2. I Know Where You've Been

**Hello everyone! If you read this while I was starting it, it probably said something like "testing, testing". Bear with me as I put up Chapter 2. Please let me know how I'm doing and how I'm not.**

_This takes one week after "Humble Beginnings". The team learns one of Cassidy's secrets, one that she considers the worst. But through all that, one person will be there for her._

* * *

Cassidy walked into HQ with a smile on her face. The wind blew in her red, past-the-shoulders hair, blowing all the layers making her hair match its colour: fierce. She walked passed Winnie's desk, saying hello and going to the locker room to change. She took off her clothes and put on her workout uniform, which contained 'special' black dress pants and a red Puma shirt.

As she slipped the shirt over her head, she thought when she needed the unisex shirt when she was eighteen; growing up she was a 'chubby' child which produced school bullying. After leaving the eighth grade and a bad bully, she knew highschool wasnt going to get any easier and she would have to face another bully. she spent most of her days alone with only her iPod and thoughts of trying to escape. she thought about taking control by taking her life, but she didn't want to disapoint her mother and she thought she was being selfish.

Her only saving grace was that she had a bigger build than most of the girls didn't have: a girls had the typical hourglass shape while Cassidy had an inverted triangle shape. Her bigger size, she thanked her father for, protected her from anyone who thought about trying to physically hurt her. No one tried, but no one dared. Not to mention her mother was VERY active in the school: not with school programs, as there wasn't any she went to, but if her daughter was being treated unfair by any student or teacher (yes, even one teacher almost didn't pass her because she wasn't a prep), Mama knew about it and she went in there, letting everyone on staff know Mama Maclaren cared about her kids. Cassidy knew that her mom understood the pain of high school because she was a broken mirror of her daughter.

Cassidy walked out of the locker room, pulling her hair back into a ponytail and wearing a plum shade lipstick on her lips. She wasn't a fan of mornings but she didn't mind waking up seeing people who didn't judge her off the hop. Once at the workout area, she saw Ed and the Boss at the punching bag, Sam running on the treadmill, Jules and Leah on the bikes. Cass saw an empty spot where Spike was lifting free weights, so she decided to join him (she was secretly hoping to workout with him). She picked up two 15lb weights and started to do squats. She would keep the weights above her shoulders and when she came up, she lifted the weights over her head and back down. Spike noticed that she was lifting heavier than most girls and struck up a conversation.

"Wow," he started. "I didn't know a woman could lift that much."

"I'm not most women," she said with a smile and strain in her voice.

"No you aren't. So are you sure you're not from outer space, Child of Wonder Woman?"

"Yes I'm sure. If you want you can check my file." She changed her workout to bicep curls.

"No thanks. Where you worked, all the information probably got changed or sealed."

"I worked for the FBI not the CIA."

"Riiiiight. And I lived on a farm all my life."

"Believe what you will. But don't cry to me when you find out I'm your average Joe Blow."

Spike laughed as he finished his set. Workout continued with no excitement, just sweat, strain and more sweat. The others glanced at times to see that Cassidy wasn't a heavy sweater. After workout they cooled off and changed into their work uniforms. During changing Cassidy had some girl time with Jules and Leah.

"So Cass," Leah started (Cassidy told everyone to call her Cass for short). "How was the workout? Talking to Spike I saw."

"He still thinks I'm an alien from Mars," the girls laughed at that, "and it was nice to workout where no one glared at you for being the biggest one there."

Both women stared at Cass. "Oh yeah you don't know. I was a big kid in school so gym class wasn't my forte subject. And changing in front of people really frightened me too because I was scared of being made fun of for my weight."

"I didn't know you were a big girl," Leah said in shock. "You really had me fooled."

"Well you don't have to worry about being scared to change in here," Jules complemented. "We're all mature adults and have seen every type of body shape."

"Thanks Jules and Leah. I really needed that." Cass smiled at the two ladies.

When all three women got out of the locker room, they heard Winnie on the speaker saying "hot call!" Everyone gathered around the desk to hear what the situation was. A hostage situation at a public high school. Team One geared up and headed for the school while Winnie fed them on the fly. The subject was a grade twelve student named Patty Brown holding a student named Ambrosia Peterson. Winnie told the team that Patty was a loner with no friends and Ambrosia was the daughter of a very rich and powerful family. Patty had been humiliated by Ambrosia by inviting her to a party and telling her that if she wanted to be popular, she'd have to do what other popular kids do. Patty refused and wanted to go home but ended up getting gang-raped by three peers. Patty went to the police, but with the ties that the Petersons had there would be no justice. Before she left the station, Patty muttered, "those ties have to be cut."

After Winnie told the story, Cass gave an angry sigh. Greg was driving and asked her what the matter was.

"These rich kids think that they can get away with anything and that there are no consequences to their actions. Whatever the outcome may be, the press is going to have a heyday and the Petersons are going to sue anyone and everyone for their daughter being held hostage when it we initially HER fault in the first place. Yet she won't get in trouble and Patty will go to jail. It's not right."

"I know it isn't, but our job is to get those girls out of there safely. It's not to understand why people are so cruel to one another, give that job to someone else cause this one is hard enough."

Cass showed a little smile as they pulled up to the school's front doors. Everyone got out and grabbed their gear. Ed carried a rifle while the others had their MP5s along with their registered sidearm. A woman started to come towards the team and raised her hand for a shake.

"I'm Principal Wilkinson."

"Hello I'm Sergeant Greg Parker, I talked to you." He shook her hand back. "What's the situation here?"

"They are in the main gymnasium and by what students are saying, they are on the stage."

"Do you have the floor plans I asked for?"

"Yes right here." She got one of the custodians to pull out a map of the gym. Ed got a good look and made his analysis.

"Okay, I'll take Sierra on black wall in the bleachers. Spike get the parabolic, Sam and Leah be Greg's second and ruin point here, Greg and Jules'll go try to negotiate and Cassidy, you cover them. Got it?"

"Copy that" everyone said in their ear pieces. Everyone went to their spots to try and get the girls out.

Ed went to the bleachers and set up his rifle. "I have a visual. Patty has Ambrosia tied up to a chair centre stage. Subject has a three inch knife, threat level yellow."

"Copy that," Greg said as he, Jules and Cass walked towards the stage. Coming up to the stage, they heard the girls talking:

"You'll pay for this."

"Why don't you pay? You're loaded. You need to learn that even rich people like you even pay for sins."

"Patty Brown this is Sergeant Greg Parker of the Police Strategic Responsive Unit. We're here to resolve the situation."

Patty jumped at the new voice and gripped her knife tighter. "Resolve the situation by telling her that she needs to pay for what she did to me!"

"I don't need to pay for anything! I haven't done anything wrong."

"You call gang-raping me 'not doing anything wrong'?" The knife went to Ambrosia's throat.

"Greg!" Ed said as he lightly pressed his finger on the trigger. All of a sudden Cass put down her shield and went in Ed's line of fire. "Cassidy, you're in my line of fire."

"Patty don't do it! Put it down!"

"Kill the freak already! She gonna kill me!"

"I'm not a freak!"

"Patty, I know you're doing this because you feel that there's no justice being served for you. I know how that feels. I know that you have PPD and people have made fun of you because of it. I know how that feels because I have it too. It's actually autism so people made fun of me too because I wasn't like them. I didn't dress like them, listen to the same music, or talk like them. I felt so alone when I went to high school but something kept me going: my mom, my sister and other knowledge that I'd never see those people again. You don't have to either, I promise you that."

"She'll still get away."

"No she won't. She'll pay for her sins. You just have to put the knife down. Please... Don't throw your life away because of one girl."

Patty choked a sob back. "I don't have to see these people again?"

"Never."

Patty threw the knife on the floor and fell to her knees crying. The three officers went over to the girls, untying one and cuffing the other. "I have to do this for each of our protection."

_Braddock: 1:47 pm incident resolved subject surrendered._

After debriefing, the Sarge told Cass to stay for a bit longer. She knew what it was about; Greg started.

"First off, good job getting those girls out. But why didn't you tell me before about the autism?"

"Would you have picked me? People get judged all the time and I didn't want your judgement to be clouded by something I was born with."

"That hasn't been proven."

"I know but I haven't known a normal day in my life. When people know about my autism, they start treating me differently. I just see things differently than other people. Please don't fire me," Cass was starting to get teary. "I can't..."

"Cassidy," Greg said grabbing her hand. "It's what you said to that girl: it's who you are. You can't change having autism as much as I can't change being Italian. I'm not going to penalize you for being you. But if you pull another stunt like that again, I will have to discipline you, thank goodness the situation ended well. You knew how that girl felt, that's what the job's about: connect, respect-"

"Protect," she finished. "Thank you Greg."

They got up and hugged, then they left to go home for tomorrow's shift. When Cass was about to go into the locker room, she passed Ed and he gave her a disappointed look. She went in and got a chill down her spine. She hid herself in one of the stalls and didn't come out until the other girls left. She had changed in the washroom and when they left, she put her clothes in her locker and was about to leave. She heard a knock on the door and heard a voice calling her. She told the voice to come in and saw that it was Spike. He saw tears obtained on her face and her eyes were puffy.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah. I'm great, why wouldn't I be?"

"Because of today? That must have been a big secret to keep. You took me off guard."

"Now it's on record so everyone knows about it now. This is when people start treating me different now. They think they should be nicer to me or be careful of what they do or say. It always happens. But it's not the team I'm worried about, it's Ed. He gave me a disappointed look before I came in here. I guess he doesn't want any 'leaks' in his team."

"Cass we all have problems we wish we didn't have and issues we didn't cause, but we have to learn how to work with them. Ed is gonna have to learn that it's who you are and no one can change you, not with all the medication or treatments in the world. Look at me, if they were trying to fix me, by the time they found a cure, I'd be dead from natural causes."

Cass huffed at his funny remark. She looked at Spike and whipped one side of her tears away.

"Come on now," he said walking towards her and whipping the other side away. "Show me a smile. There we go, I knew you had it in you."

"Thank you Michael." Spike looked at her weird. "It's alright I call you Michael, isn't it?"

He looked in her eyes and saw an innocence in them. No one had called him 'Michael', but he liked the way it rolled off her tongue.

"Yeah, it's okay. It's very okay, as long as I can call you 'Wonder Girl."

"Whatever tickles your fancy."

"You're so funny."

"I know."

Both walked out of the locker room happy and knowing that that would be the start of a great friendship.

* * *

**Sorry if it's too long or if it took too long t bring up. I'm still trying to get the kinks but I think I'm getting it. Comment, like ETC and let me know please how I'm doing. Chapter 3 should be coming up soon but I'm moving so bear with me. If anyone would like requests on the new character, let me know, I'm open to suggestions, but I do have a basic storyline.**


	3. More Than Friends

**I hope the info boxes I make are helpful. I think this story is going well so far. Cass has made her first official friend: Spike. This chapter will delve into Cass' life when Spike takes her out to coffee.**

_This is one month since 'I Know Where You've Been'. Things start to get interesting._

* * *

It was a long, boring shift of nothing but patrolling the streets of Toronto. Everyone was bummed that there was no action so they decided to go home to try and find some more action there than at work. Spike, however, had his mind on something else other than going to his apartment. He went to the change room and switched into a pair of jeans, a dark blue t-shirt and his leather jacket. He waited on the top of the steps for Cass to come out of the ladies locker room. Thinking she'd never come out, Spike thought about leaving, but he heard the door click open. He looked up at her and what he saw nearly knocked him off his feet. She was wearing her signature black dress pants, black heels and a reddish dress shirt that fit her form nicely. Spike took a deep breath as he walked towards Cass.

"Hey Cass," he said.

"Oh hey Spike."

"I was wondering if you wanted to get some coffee."

"Oh I'm sorry but I don't drink coffee."

"Oh." A fear ran through Spike thinking she'd turn him down.

"I like tea."

"Oh do you?"

"Right now?"

"Yeah."

"Oh okay. Let's go."

Both left the station together and left in Spike's car to go to a coffee shop. They went to a place that did specialty drinks. They walked in and the owner knew Cass, which surprised Spike.

"Hello Cassidy," said the clerk. "I see you brought a friend this time."

"Actually _he_ brought me here."

"OOOOO! Lucky guy. So what'll it be, your usual and...?"

"Just a double-double for me please," Spike replied.

"Alright! One Cup of Boring and Cass' Usual comin' right up!"

Spike turned to Cass and said, "your usual? How often do you come here?"

"Enough where every employee knows what I drink." She winked.

"Here we are. Coffee and a hot dark chocolate, whipped cream and vanilla soy milk."

"Thank you," and each took their drinks and walked to to table. Spike asked, "didn't you say you like tea?"

"Sure... When I make it."

"You are one strange woman."

"Tell me something I don't know."

Both laughed and found a lovely table next to a window. They took a sip of their hot drinks and started a conversation. Spike was a bit nervous to ask her about her life.

"Sorry am I keeping you from something?" Cass joked.

"What? Oh no, no. I, ugh, I just don't know how to ask you about yourself."

"Well how about this: we each pick a topic then we both elaberate on that subject."

"Sounds good. So I guess I'll start. Family."

"Parents are separated and I have an older sister who is a nurse."

"Oh I'm sorry."

"Don't be. The marriage wasn't meant to be anyway but my mom's doing fine without my dad. I guess after living that all those years, I kinda had a bias on men: that they don't care."

"Some guys care about women."

"I know, I'm looking at one." This made Spike smile.

"So how about you, Michael?"

_She called me Michael again! Keep it together. Keep it together._

"My family moved from Italy before I was born. I have an older brother and my mom. When my dad died, she moved back to Italy."

"It sounds like a beautiful place. And I'm sorry about your dad."

"It is. Probably why my mom went back. And I'm okay with it now, he lived a long life but we never really saw eye-to-eye a lot of the time."

"Huh."

"What?"

"Oh nothing. So topic number two: hobbies."

"Well with this job, there isn't a bunch of time for hobbies. But I do like reading, especially comic books."

"So that's why you call me Wonder Girl, huh?"

"Ya got me!" Both laughed.

"As for me, I'm into the musical arts. I played piano, guitar and sax during school."

"What a musical jack-of-all-trades!"

"You should've seen me in band. You know that small saxes, right? Well I played this thing called the baritone sax and it stood this tall," she raised her hand to show how tall it was. "It was so heavy I needed a block to prompt it on! My teacher knew I had the most talent in the class but even the tuba had more lines than me! I was SO happy when I left cause I went for violin after I left high school."

"So how did you join the FBI?"

"Well I took law in school cause I was also good at that. I went to the police academy in Kitchener and decided to join the BAU in Sarnia. But after that case, I decided that I wanted to help people before they turned into those brothers. I picked the BAU cause I wanted to know what made people tick like that. But seeing all those shoes wanted me to help living victims and stop people from crossing that line." Spike just paused as he absorbed her statement.

"Wow. You must have seen a lot of stuff as an agent."

"Basically the same stuff you see now as a cop but the pay is a bit better and you get to travel around the country."

The conversation kept going until the store closed and both realized that it was late.

"Oh ho, what a time!" Cass laughed as they left the store. Spike smiled inside and out.

"Your car is still at the station."

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that."

"How about I drive you home and pick you up tomorrow?"

"Sounds like a plan, as my mother would say!"

They both got into Spike's car and he drove her home. He put the car in park when they pulled up to the front of the house. Cass took off her seatbelt and said, "this is me." Spike tried to say goodnight but he couldn't find the words in his throat. He was really inspecting her face: her square chin, blue eyes and her lips. _Oh those puffy lips. They look so soft. I wish I could..._

He woke from his trance when he realized Cass was kissing him. He kissed her back and cupped her face into his hand. They were both indulged in the moment: she thought she'd never find a guy like him (all the good ones were taken she thought) and he thought he'd never get a girl like her (beautiful, funny and carefree... Not to mention a good kisser). Cass broke the kiss when she realized what she was doing. She fumbled for the door handle as she opened it and got out of the car. Before shutting the door she slipped out, "bye love you." She shut the door and walked into her house and went right into her room and layer on her bed. She closed her eyes and thought about the events of the afternoon, the kiss and Spike. His lips were so soft and perfect for her first time. She went to bed thinking about him: her Michael.

_Did we just become more than friends? Am I in love with him? Please let this be love._

Meanwhile after Cass got out of his car, Spike just sat there in awe. He gently touched his lips, hers being so kissable and tasted like sweetness. He started his car and drove home, deciding to take a shower when he got there. He got home and hopped in the tube and turned on the hot water. He let each drop pour over him as if Cass was right there with him, caressing his body as he felt her rich red hair. He wanted to see her again but was afraid that it we just a one-time deal.

_Is the love? He thought. Am I under her spell? This feeling, it's different than with Bridget or Natalie. It feels more whole. I'm in love with Cassidy._


	4. Long Time No See

**I am SO SO sorry for the delay, moving takes A LOT out of a person, not to mention that our Internet isn't hooked up yet (working on cafe wifi). Thank you for your patience everyone!**

**How is everyone liking the story so far? Things are getting heated up between Spike and Cass. Let's see what happens when Cass sees family, but she's not excited to see them.**

A couple days have gone by since that night and they are both scared at what they might say to one another.

* * *

Team One had just come back from a prisoner transfer from the hospital to prison. Greg decided that for the last hour of shift, they would patrol the city. The groupings were as followed: Sam and Jules on the club district, Ed and Leah on the suburbs, Spike and Cass on the west side. Every got into a SUV and pulled put of the SRU garage. Spike being a gentleman let Cass choose whether or not she wanted to drive; she agreed to take the wheel. Early in the drive and Spike and Cass could feel the pink elephant in the car. They didn't know what to say to one another until they both started to speak at the same time. Realizing that they were trying to say the same thing, Spike let Cass go first.

"Are our coms off?"

"They should be."

"Should be?"

"No they are, they're off."

Cass took a deep breath. "Look, what happened the other night," she tightened her grip on the steering wheel and looked straight at the road, "I meant it. I love you and I'm scared to because I'm scared of getting into a relationship and the relationship failing and when it fails, people get hurt and I know this cause I've seen it and I know what it can do to people and..." She was getting teary-eyed now, "I don't want to hurt. You're the innocent one on the team and I don't want to take away your innocence."

Spike had listened carefully at what she had to say. He was amazed that she was in love with him and him with her. He could only stare at the road, absorbing what she said: "I'm innocent? She loves me? She wants to get close to me?" Spike thought about a woman getting close to him, he got scared just then as the memories of his father and Lew entered his mind. "What if I lose her like them? I don't want her to get hurt either."

"I...I..." Spike tried to say but he couldn't find the words to say. He pulled over to the side of the road and put the SUV in park.

"You think I'm innocent?" Spike asked Looking sincerely at Cass.

"Yes. You're sweet and kind. You don't judge people and you see the good in them no matter what. I'm scared to break rules but I can't help the way I feel about you. I... I love you. I really do." Spike reached his hand out and grabbed Cass' hand on her lap and said softly, "I love you too, Wonder Girl." She looked up at Spike in awe and squeezed his hand. Both smiled at each other as Spike drove off again.

"Did you want to do something tonight? Not anything fast, but like go for a walk or something like that?"

"I'd like that. A walk would be nice. I'll make sure to wear comfy shoes."

The rest of patrol was quite quiet so by the end of shift, everyone brought back their SUVs to the garage. Everyone was coming up from garage, talking about how nothing life-changing happened, but Spike and Cass just smiled when they said that. Coming up to Winnie's desk saying hello to the dispatcher, Greg was at the desk and raised his voice saying, "hey Cass, someone's here to see you!" Cass looked behind her and saw who it was; her gut started to knot as she walked towards the company.

"Hi dad," she said with a stone-cold voice.

"Baby, how are you?" He happily asked as he swung his arm around her. She hugged back but not as tight.

"Fine. What are you doing here?"

"I heard you got a new job! Congratulations! Are these the people you work with?"

"Yeah. Sarge, Ed, Sam, Jules, Leah, Winnie and Mike. Excuse me but I have to do something in the change room." Cass hurried her way to the door that said "Women" and went through it. Leah looked at her watch said lied saying that she was late for a date. She went into the change room to check on Cass. Leah found Cass near the shower with the water running, crying her eyes out.

"Cass you alright?"

Cass wiped her tears away and replied, "no."

"Anything I can do?"

"Tell Spike to see me now. I need to ask him something." Cass just sat on the floor, rocking back and forth to comfort herself. Leah knelt down and rubbed Cass' shoulder.

"Breathe Cassidy. I'll get him, just hold on there." Talking like she was going to jump off a cliff. Cass sniffed and nodded her head. Leah left and Cass shut off the water, wiping her tears on a nearby face cloth. She stood up as Spike walked into the room. His face showed real concern as he walked over to her and leaned in to look at her face.

"Cass? Cass? Look at me," Spike cupped his hands into her face. "Did you just want to go home tonight? We don't have to do anything tonight."

"No Spike. I need some fresh air and a walk with you will calm me down." She put her hands on top of his and smiled sweetly at him. "Is it all right if I talk about it with you tonight?"

"Sure, you need to this off your chest, I can see that."

Spike squeezed her hands and walked out of the change room so she could have some privacy. He walked to the men's room and saw the other guys from his team there, already changing.

"Spike is Cassidy okay?" Sarge asked.

"I think she'll be okay. I think its her dad. I don't think they're close."

"The way she hugged him, I didn't think so." Sam remarked as he put his shirt on.

"She has her reasons," Sarge remarked. "I know my son did."

"Except he talks to you now," Ed perked up. Not to mention he's a kid, she's technically not."

"I was a different person then, maybe he hasn't changed his ways."

Spike listened to the others, trying to think why Cass didn't talk to her father. Maybe he didn't change his ways. He planned to ask her on their walk that night. Spike finished changing and waited for Cass near Winnie's desk. He waited patiently, knowing that Cass just had a rough time. She eventually came out, wearing a jacket and black pants.

"Ready?" She asked. He nodded and they both left the building.

They both used Spike's car and drove to his house and decided to walk around the block. At the start, they started talking.

"So your dad..." Spike started.

"I haven't seen him in a couple of years. Why? He can't let go of the past, he'd rather have cheap booze than his family. We left when I was becoming a legal adult. I was really angry because we had lived in a house for ten years and then WE had to move out to an ant farm, literally. Ants crawled through a hole in the floor in the summer and you could see icicles forming in my room in the winter time, not to mention faulty wiring."

Spike did a small chuckle.

"It was a lot of moving but I could finally finish mourning the loss of the house and my dad when I left high school. Then my mom finally managed to buy a small house and my life got a lift in the right direction. I believe everything happens for a reason and I left that house to finally join SRU."

"Wow, you ARE Wonder Girl! Not to sound cruel or pushy, but how are your feelings towards your dad?"

"You mean do I hate him? No. But I don't love him the same way I use to, if anything I feel sorry for him. It sounds cruel but it's the truth. I just have to remember that he's my dad no matter what he is or does and I'm not responsible for the things he's done and that he's proud of me. I learned quick that I'm not going to have a father but I have to keep reminding myself that there are good guys out there, you just have to look for them." She squeezed Spike's hand, indicating he was a 'good guy'.

"I think I can understand that. I know for a fact that emotions are one of the hardest things to explain, next to security systems. But why did you run away today?"

"Did I really run away? Was it THAT obvious?" Cass asked embarrassed. "I guess I was just scared. He always says that I never text him but he only texts me and my sister when no one wants to 'hang out' with him. He'll ask us how we are, the same old, same old. I'm not talking to him because he hasn't changed his old life. If he did a complete 180°, then I might talk to him, but not now and the way he's going I don't know if ever."

Spike thought about his dad for a moment. What if his parents separated? Would he be closer or farther away from his dad when he died? Did he keep a somewhat relationship with his dad to comfort his mom? _W__ow this girl's been through a lot._

By the time they finished walking, they had already gotten back to the house. It was late and Cass had left her car at the barn. She asked if she could stay the night at his place and Spike agreed. When inside he offered his housecoat to Cass to sleep in; she accepted the gift and changed in the bathroom while Spike prepped the pull-out futon in his living room. She came out of the bathroom in Spike's housecoat, fitting her like a glove. She hugged him and said 'thank you' in his ear. She pecked him on his cheek and he replied 'your welcome'. As she snuggled herself under the sheets, Spike went to his bedroom and went to bed. Before drifting off to sleep, many thoughts went through his mind: _A woman in my apartment. She's so beautiful. Why would she want someone like me? But then again, she' s probably thinking how someone like me could want her._ And Spike drifted to sleep with her in his mind.

About three in the morning, he heard screaming coming from his apartment. He jumped out of bed to see what it was. He ran into the living room and saw Cass tossing and turning in her sleep; she was having a nightmare. Spike ran towards her, turned a light on and shook her to wake her up. It took a bit but he managed to save Cass for her subconscious. She woke up in a sweat and in tears, looking around the room, not realizing that Spike was holding her shoulders very tightly. She focused her attention on Spike and burst out into tears. She fell into his chest, crying into his night shirt and he held her gently, softly hushing her and telling her that the dream was over.

"Tell me what happened." Spike asked as he lifted her chin to his face, wiping a tear away.

"We were walking on a street when you fell down bleeding; I think you got shot in the chest. People started to walk away and no one was helping me. I tried to stop the bleeding but your entire shirt turned blood red and I watched you die in my arms. Then you started to disappear into thin air. That's when you woke me up. It was so scary."

"Shh, shh. It's okay now. I'm here, I'm okay and I'm not leaving you."

"Please Spike, stay with me. I can't close my eyes without seeing that image. Don't leave me please!"

Spike had an idea. He picked up Cass and carried her to his bedroom and placed her on his bed.

"You can stay in my bed."

"Will you stay with me?"

Spike was hesitate at first but her voice wasn't seductive and she was scared, so he agreed. He crawled into his bed beside her and pulled the sheets over them. As soon as he got comfortable, she wrapped her arms around his body, facing him and holding him tight. He hugged her back and kissed her forehead as he whispered, "Siate calmi piccolo angelo, sei forte e amato."

"No idea what you just said but thank you Michael." They eventually both fell to sleep, with the rest of the night calmed down.

The next day, Spike woke up with a blur. He focused his mind on what happens the night before: Cass sleeping over, her nightmare, her in his bed. He turned his head to see the sleeping beauty resting peacefully on his pillow. He noticed the housecoat she was wearing was opening a bit at her chest so he pulled the covers over her so as not to violate her. Just as he was pulling the sheets over, a streak of panic went through him thinking of the worse case senerio. He felt to see if he was wearing his night pants; he was. _Thank goodness_ he thought. He got out of bed and held his head in his hands. Then his phone started to vibrate so he check to see what it was; the Sarge was calling him. He answered the cell.

"Hello?" Spike asked tiredly.

"Spike? It's Greg. I tried to call Cassidy but she's not answering calls. I wanted to let her know that because of last night, she could take a personal day today. Do you know if she's alright?"

"Yeah she is. She stayed at my place last night." Silence was on the other end of the phone. "Boss, nothing happened last night except a really bad nightmare. I was just being a good friend. We went for a walk last night and she told me a lot. She never had any REAL friends and she learned that guys won't understand her. She needs to know that I care for her, as a friend."

"Well in that case, I can give you the day off too to give her some time with you. I know you're a good friend and you'll be a good one to her. Take care of her Michelangelo."

"I will. Thank you," and he hung up the phone. He turned back at his bed to see Cassidy waking up. She stretched and saw Spike standing near the bedroom window holding his cell phone.

"What happened?" She asked as she pulled the housecoat over her and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Boss gave us the day off because of what happened last night."

"But I'm fine. I don't think I need a day off."

"Believe me Wonder Girl, if Boss gives you a day off, you take it and run!" He smiled and went over to help Cass to her feet. He opened his hands to her and pulled her to her feet and asked, "so what do you want to do now?"

"Eat breakfast," she demanded. "I'm starved!"

"Then let's go to the kitchen."

"Alllll-righty then! Lead the way."

They both went to the kitchen and Cass helped herself to the fridge as Spike asked her if she'd like something to drink.

"What's this stuff in the jug here?"

"Nestea water. Blueberry pomegranate."

"My favourite," she happily said as she pulled the jug out of the fridge and shut the door. She put it on the counter and ready to grab a cup but she paused. Not only did she not know where the cups were, she thought she saw something in the fridge. She opened the door again and grabbed what caught her attention: Greek yogurt.

"You eat Greek yogurt!?"

"Yeah..."

"May I?"

"Yeah..."

Spike was frozen in amazement how Cass dominated his own kitchen. She knew where everything was and didn't even ask him where anything was! She grabbed a spoon from the drawer and used it to eat her yogurt.

"How did you know where everything was?"

"This place reminds me of a place I lived in and everything is how we arranged it. I guess I get tunnel vision when I get into a kitchen," she ate a scoop of yogurt and continued. "Any place my family lived, the kitchen was our hub," using her spoon hand to make a circle. "Even with a big living room around the corner, we always met in the kitchen. I guess it's 'cause we always had something cooking."

"Sounds like my mom," Spike chuckled. "She always has food ready when I came home, even when I was an adult. I miss that about her. She's in Italy now." Spike talked more about his family as she ate. Cass had finished her Greek yogurt and rinsed the cup and asked where the recycle was. He pointed the way and she threw it out there. She came back and Spike reminded her that she was starving.

"Don't have to tell me twice," she replied as she made her way to the fridge once again. "Want me to make breakfast for you? I make a mean cheesed eggs dish."

"Wonder Girl works out, is strong and sweet AND cooks? This I gotta see!"

She smiled a sinister smile as she grabbed the eggs and block cheese from the fridge and placed the items on the counter. She looked for a frying pan and found it with ease and cracked two eggs in and put a lid on it, but she put oil in it first. She wasn't surprised that Spike had olive oil in his cupboard.

"I always use olive oil for the pan, nothing else. I'm not surprised, since you have a European background.

"Did you need help with anything?"

"No thank you. I'm treating YOU now," she turned to grate cheese now. "You just keep your pretty self out of my way," she paused and realized that she just told him that. "Sorry, I sounded like my mom there. When she cooked in the kitchen, you got out of way until she sat down." She flipped the eggs with a flipper and put the lid back on. She found some bread earlier and out some in the toaster that was on the counter. "Hey, do you have a stereo with radio? I'm kinda use to having music playing in the background." He nodded his head and she asked him to turn it on. He did as he was asked and went back into the kitchen.

When he walked in the room, the song 'Trip' by Hedley came on and he saw Cass dancing and singing to the song. _She sings well._ But she let it out at the chorus. She was wrapped in the song as she took the first set of eggs out of the pan and put the second set in. She turned to see Spike standing in the doorway in awe with her singing. She stopped, feeling embarrassed but he told her to keep going. He took her hand and held her to slow-dance with her as she continued to sing. He looked into her eyes with deep sincerity. He got lost in her thinking, "where have you been all my life? I guess I wasn't ready for you... Everything happens for a reason."

He leaned his face into hers and pressed his lips on hers. She kissed back and wrapped her arms around his neck. Getting lost in each other, the eggs started to smoke and this broke the moment. Cass managed to catch them in time, and finished cooking them. She buttered the toast with butter when it finished cooking and put the pieces on two different plates. The eggs were already on the plates and she put forks with the meals and walked with them to the table Spike was at.

"Here we are, Eggs a la Cassie," she said putting one of the plates in front of Spike and the other in her spot. She sat down and dug into her food. Spike took a bit of the food and chewed, tasting the cooking on his tongue. He swallowed and complemented her on her cooking.

"You've really outdone yourself this time Wonder Girl!"

"So far... This is only the morning." Each finished their breakfast and washed the dishes. "I think I left my clothes in your washroom. Maybe I should've packed a overnight bag. Oh well, I've got gum." She went through the bathroom door and shut it behind her and Spike went to his room to get changed into clothes. While changing, all he could think about was Cass; to him she was perfect to him, even better than Natalie or Bridget. Bridget was more interested in Lew and Natalie wasn't getting her life together. Cass on the other hand cooked, worked and was a wonderful woman.

Cass finally left the bathroom just as Spike put his dress shirt on. He went in to get himself ready while Cass grabbed her purse and applied a very pink lipstick on. She knew it wasn't suppose to be a match with her hair colour, but she was different and didn't want to do what was the norm. She smiled at herself in the mirror and popped a piece of mint gum in her mouth and chewed heavily at first to get the flavour started in her mouth. Soon after that Spike came out of the bathroom.

"So what did you want to do today?" He asked.

"I'm feeling adventurous. Like an arcade."

"Alright! Love arcades!" Spike and Cass both put on their shoes and walked out the door to go to an arcade. They found one near Spike's building and went inside and found a lot of people on different games. They purchased tokens and were told that if they got enough tickets they'd win a prize on the wall. They walked around the room until they found an air hockey table and agreed to play. Putting some tokens in they played ten rounds, and Spike beat her 7-3.

"I'm glad you didn't let me win because I'm a girl."

"I totally kicked your butt!"

"Now let's play something I'm good at," she grabbed his hand and walked to the dance game. She placed three tokens in the machine and picked a beat-bop song to dance to. The song started and both started stomping the arrows below them. Spike was missing some of them but Cass was keeping in time and managed to hit most of the arrows. Once the song was over, Spike got a couple of tickets but Cass got over twenty!

"Wow you ARE good at this game!"

"Yeah but it's very tiring," she aired out, trying to catch her breath. They played a couple more games and managed to get over one hundred tickets. Spike put his hand in his pocket and realized he had one more token. They saw a photo machine and decided to spend it on that. They went in, put the tickets on the floor in front of them and put the last token in. They could pick their background for the paper; they picked the BFF one and posed for the first picture. The first was a nice pose, the second was a fun one, the third was kissing his cheek and the fourth was him kissing hers. They waited for the film to develop and grabbed it when it finished. They gathered everything up and went to the main counter. They put the tickets in front of the teller and he pulled the tickets into a machine that counted them. One hundred and two tickets in total! They looked on the wall for a good prize and Cass noticed a really nice picture frame hanging. She said they could blow up one of the photos they just took at a copy centre and put it in there. He agreed and spent all but two tickets on the frame, the last two tickets they spent on two lollipops.

They left the arcade and went to a copy centre to get one of the pictures blown up for the frame. The associate there said it would take six hours, but the store was going to close in two so they could pick it up sometime tomorrow and they were okay with that. They decided to get the last picture blown up: Spike was kissing Cass on her cheek and she had a face of surprise. The associate even told them they could leave the frame and they'd put the picture in. They handed over the frame to the associate and payed for the job and left. Realizing that it was past lunchtime, they went to a small café to eat.

After lunch, Cass offered Spike to see her place and he agreed. They drove to her place which was just outside the city: a triplex and she lived on the top floor. "Living on the top means you don't have anyone living over you," she said as she unlocked the door. They climbed the stairs and unlocked another door leading into her place. The walls were earthy green and the kitchen was right when you walked in. The living room was on the right of the hallway and the bedroom on the left. They took their shoes off and showed her around. She was especially excited to show her the big living room window showing the city.

"It's really pretty in the winter and when it's nighttime. You can see all the colours of the city. The best part is that no one can see you from the street." She leaned herself on Spike and wrapped her arm around his waist. They then looked at each other like they never did before. Their eyes looked right in each other, almost feeling the others' heartbeat.

"Michael," Cass started to say but Spike interrupted her.

"I... I can't," Spike said. "There's protocol and we're on the same team and if they found out..." Spike could finish for he was afraid to say what might happen.

"So why are you unbuttoning my blouse?" She asked him. He looked down and saw his hands on her waist, her chest fully exposed. He saw her firm breasts being held up by a royal blue-coloured bra with lace in the front. He had opened up her shirt and didn't realize it! His breathing was getting heavier, debating whether to obey the job or his heart. Finally he made up his mind.

"Screw protocol," he said and he started to passionately kiss her. He slipped his hands under her shirt and rubbed her back, feeling her shoulder blades. Cass undid his shirt as she kissed him back. Spike lifted her up around his waist and she wrapped her legs around him as he carried her to her bedroom. Their passion for each other grew more and more as they made love on her bed. For the next twenty minutes, thought after thought entered their minds. Protocol. The team. Each other. How amazing the other was in bed.

After the exciting time they just had, they laid together breathing heavily. Cass' hair rested on Spike's shoulder and chest, but mostly on his shoulder.

"And I thought you didn't have any rhythm," Cass said to her lover. "You proved me wrong."

"I noticed you bled," Spike hinted, catching his breath.

"Yep. You're my first."

"Pretty good for your first time."

"Thanks."

WHAT A CHAPTER HUH? COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW HOW THE STORY'S GOING. OUR INTERNET SHOULD BE CONNECTED SOON SO I SHOULD BE ABLE TO UPLOAD MORE CHAPTERS. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR READING MY STORY AND FOLLOWING!


	5. I Was Doing My Job

**Hello everyone. Good news, my Internet is connected! Comment and like. **

******Note: italics in paragraphs are flashbacks**

* * *

Cass and Spike have been going out for 1 1/2 months now. They have been hiding their relationship from the team but soon can't hide it anymore when another person from Cass' past haunts her.

The team was filing paperwork from a case they were just on when Winnie yelled out, "Hot call!"

"What have we got?" Ed called as he and the rest of the team ran over to the desk.

"Shots fired on Queen and Yonge."

"Tell us on the fly Winnie," Ed shouted as his team and himself ran towards the garage to gear up. Once in the SUV, Winnie told them that someone was shot and the shooter was in the immediate area. The Boss told Cass to stay with him, Jules and Leah get information from witnesses and the shot victim and Ed, Sam and Spike to search the immediate area, including the alleys when they got to the intersection. The team got to the intersection, proceeded with their tasks and met with the inspector.

"Inspector," Greg called out to the man.

"Greg," the Inspector replied to him. "Another day, another shooting."

"What do we know?"

"Witnesses say that a regular looking guy walked up to the vic and just shot him. We also found this, it was on the vic's chest." The Inspector showed Greg a piece of paper. It was a detailed image of a hallow heart with a fancy X in the centre. Greg showed the picture to Cass and she looked carefully at it. _Could it be? It can't be. He's in jail._

BANG!

"Team status!" Greg yelled in the headset.

"No harm," first Ed, then Spike. Sam however didn't say if he was okay or not. "Sam, status!"

"I need a medic now!" Sam answered. "I'm in an alley off of Queen. The shooter got another person! There's a lot of blood coming from his chest!"

Greg, Cass and the rest of the team ran to Sam's location along with two paramedics. When they got there, Ed and Leah pursued the shooter but knew he was long gone. The medics mended to the shot man while Sam wiped his bloody hands with a cloth from his left leg pouch.

"Oh yeah," Sam perked up, "there was a piece of paper on his chest. Here." Greg took the paper and saw the same heart and X. He flipped the paper and saw a note saying: "You can't fight me much longer. You or them?"

Cass' heart started pounding in her throat. She had a feeling of who it was but she couldn't tell them; what if she was wrong? The members of Team One that were still in the alley went back to Queen Street to meet up with the inspector. When they came out the inspector was right there with more information.

"Greg, I got a call from Homicide and they said this happened before. A week ago a sixty-four year old Steven Stone was shot in his house. Same ballistics, same signature-"

"Same shooter," Sam finished off.

"Boss," Leah said in the headset, "we lost him. He's gone."

"Copy that. Come on back."

"What that's it?" Jules perked up. "Some guy becomes a serial and we just let him walk away?"

"Jules there's nothing we can do," Cass told her. "We'll catch him, just not now."

The team hopped in their SUVs and went back to the barn. While unpacking, they discussed their evening plans: Sam and Jules, Ed, and Greg home with their kids, Leah on her evening jog and Spike and Cass secretly having dinner plans. When they got there, there was a bouquet of flowers on Winnie's desk.

"Hey Cass you lucky girl," Winnie smiled. "You've got a secret admirer." Cass saw the flowers: pink carnations with a blue rose in the middle with baby's breath. Cass saw the piece of card and read it: the same heart and X. She quietly scrunched the card up and told Winnie she could keep them.

"Oh Cass I can't. There're yours."

"It's a gift for being such a good dispatcher and friend."

"Wow, thanks." Winnie picked up and carnation and put it to her nose to smell it.

"Hey Winnie, I need to ask you something. Could you pull up the names of the victims today with the shooter on Queen and Yonge."

"Sure thing," Winnie said as she started typing on her keyboards. She got a result, "the first was Jake Miller and the second was Alex Neuton."

"Did any of them make it?"

"No unfortunately."

"Thanks Winnie," Cass said and she walked to the briefing room. As she listened to the others talking, she thought about the men that were shot: Steven the school teacher, Jake the trainer, Alex the pot-smoking friend, everyone there for her at a time in her life. _Why now Alan? Why are you coming after me? _When everyone left the room, Cass told Spike to leave without her, she was going to be a while. She went to the change room to switch clothes. During changing she had to sit down because she was feeling dizzy.

Just after she put her blouse on, her cell phone started to ring. Text message. She read it: STARBUCKS ON YONGE. 8 PM TONIGHT. CONSEQUENCES IF YOU DON'T COME. Cass' stomach knotted up like the time her dad came to her work. Except her dad was different, he was annoying, this guy was dangerous. She paused thinking whether or not she should go, but her phone started ringing: SPIKE. Breathing a sigh of relief, she answered.

"So are dinner plans still a-go honey bun?" He asked lovingly.

"Love to babe but I just got a text from my mom. There's a family emergency and I have to go," she lied.

"Can I do anything?"

"Don't wait up for me. I'll probably get home late. I won't try to wake you up. Get sleep and I'll make it up to you tomorrow. Wink wink." This caused Spike to chuckle.

"Alright then."

"Michael," Cass rushed before he could hang up on her, "I love you." She said with more emotion than she thought she ever did.

"I love you too!" And he hung up. Cass grabbed her purse and left the barn to get to the rendezvous on time. She managed to get there before eight and find a spot outside the café. She debated whether of not to get something but she knew she wouldn't eat or drink it. She focused on her breathing, trying to keep calm.

_She remembers arresting him in his lair where he held his last victim. Her team kicked the door down and they saw him over her ready with the scissors to cut her hair. The press had called him the Hair Snatcher for he took a chunk of his victim's hair before stabbing them. When they cuffed him and dragged him out, he stared at Cass and said, "Cassidy. I knew you'd be a fed."_

Suddenly a hand fell over her shoulder. She tensed up realizing who it was: the Hair Snatcher a.k.a. Alan Browen. She stayed calm and did sniper breathing so she wouldn't give herself a M.I.

"You never changed," she said. "You're on time."

"You are too. You were always late for school," he said while sitting down. She was now facing a serial killer. She remembered Jules saying earlier that he became a serial today... If only she knew...

"What do you want Alan?"

"Why would I WANT something? You know I can get whatever I want, you know my endless stocks?"

"Yeah I know about them. So why didn't you use them at trial?"

"Apparently the evidence against me was overwhelming. I guess undercover agents will do that to ya."

_Cass went undercover to try and find the killer and found him. She recognized him from school and wasn't surprised what he was. Meeting the first time in years, he didn't recognize her though, which was good for her. She was U.C. for almost two years with him, getting to know him then reporting to the team to make a profile._

"Don't you think it's nice that Jules and Sam have each other and their little girl?"

Cass perked up. "How does he know about their kid?" She thought.

"Not to mention Ed has his kids and wife, Greg has his son. I think Leah's so fit I mean she's on her jog right now. And I'm sorry for your plans with they guy, Spike is it? Getting dinner plans cancelled because you're meeting with me and not telling him must be hard for you."

"You stay away from my team," she demanded.

"It's not them I have the problem with. As long as you obey the rules, they're safe. I'd hate for you to not follow the rules, the consequences would be terrible. I mean, what would happen if there was a bomb call and the only person who could help was hurt? And what if there was a call and they went into a building and they never came out? Or maybe I'd take them all down one at a time and I'd make sure to take me time with Spike, study his anatomy deeply. Very deeply."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Just don't do anything stupid and he'll be okay." Alan put a piece of paper on the table. It had an address on it, somewhere outside the city. "Think wisely, Cassidy. Their lives depend on it." And he got up and walked away. Cass was left there to ponder what he told her.

She eventually got up and walked to her car. She got in and drove to Spike's place. When she go there, she had to stay in her seat because she was getting dizzy. She opened her door and crawled out on her hands an knees to vomit. After emptying her stomach, she slowly got back on her feet and walked to the apartment. She opened the front door of the flat and clicked the door quietly. She changed into pjs and crawled into bed next to Spike, who was sleeping like a baby. She laid facing Spike and placed her hand on top of his, he stirred a little but not enough to wake him. As she looked at him she thought about that day they had together and she was feeling sick lately. She said to herself that, on her day off tomorrow, she'd go to a clinic.

The next day wasn't eventful except the clinic visit. Cass sat in the chair section of clinic and patted her leg up and down waiting for her number to be called. She looked around the room and saw many people in the waiting room, young girls mostly.

"Number twenty-five," the clerk yelled out to the room. Cass looked up because that was her number. She got up and walked towards the back room. She saw an exam table, a counter with medical supplies, a desk with a computer on it and a chair. She paced in the room until the doctor came in.

"Hello Ms Maclaren," the doctor said when he walked in. "Now what's up?"

"My sex life," she said manically. "I think I'm pregnant. I had a period but I think it was breakthrough bleeding."

"Okay, okay. Let's get an ultrasound and find out." The doctor told Cass to get on the table and he prepped the ultrasound and her. He turned the machine on and scanned her stomach.

"Well, well," the doctor said after looking at the screen. "You ARE pregnant. There's a strong heartbeat, right there," he pointed at the screen to show Cass. She stared at the screen, the heart beating steadily. It felt like her life just past in front of her. "From the size, it looks about six weeks old."

"Yep. That sounds about right."

"I'll print this off for you and I'll get you started on some prenatal vitamins. I need to ask you if you're smoking or doing anything that can affect the baby's development."

"No nothing like that. I'm healthy."

The doctor finished his report and he printed the ultrasound to give to Cass. She took the picture and stared at it.

"Is the father aware of your pregnancy?"

"No, and I don't know if I'm going to tell him."

"Were you thinking of getting an abortion?"

"Oh no! I can't kill it! I... I just need to think about it."

Cass left with the picture and decided to go to Spike's place. When she got there, she plopped on the bed and looked at the ceiling. Every emotion known to mankind flooded her brain: joy, sadness, anger, fear. She was holding the child of the man she loved and someone from her past was threatening her team, her second family. She eventually took a nap until Spike came home. She heard him fumble the door handle and she walked over to lcome him home. Shutting the door behind him, he turned and saw Cass waiting for him. She threw her arms around him and kissed him.

"Hey hon," he asked. "How was your day?"

"Ultimately uneventful," she replied. "Any interesting calls?"

"Just the prison transport. We were taking him to the hospital, I don't know if he were dead or alive. I don't think it helped that he was, like, a hundred years old."

"Aren't those the best kinds?"

"Ha ha yeah. You hungry?"

"A bit. Nothing heavy."

PLEASE COMMENT. IM FEELING GOOD ABOUT THE STORY AND IT GETS JUICIER.


	6. Taken

**This story, I think, is increasing to the climax. Cass must make a choice to either tell the team about Alan or take her dirty laundry with her. If she tells the team, he'll kill them, and if she doesn't tell other people are going to get hurt. She is bound between the safety of herself and the safety of her team. But what will she do when she is pushed to the edge? This chapter is set one day after the last chapter. WARNING: THIS CHAPTER MIGHT GET GRAPHIC. Reader's discression is advised.**

**I do not own Flashpoint or anything belonging to it except the character Cassidy Maclaren.**

**Note: flashbacks are in italics**

* * *

Team One was doing usual business at the Barn; the Boss doing paperwork, Spike fixing up Babycakes, Sam and Leah taking turns at whacking the punching bag, Jules and Cass coming out from changing and Ed just coming in to get change.

"HOT CALL! HOT CALL TEAM ONE!" Winnie yelled. Everyone ran towards the desk. "Suspicious package at the TV station."

"Babycakes time to come out and play!" Spike said with excitement. He always liked it when they could bring his robotic girlfriend on a call. The team geared up and drove to the TV station. while driving, Cass just sat in silence thinking about what Alan said. He talked about a bomb call, could this be it? She couldn't tell the team, he'd kill them and she had to think about them. They finally arrived at the station and Spike went in with Babycakes to investigate, evaluate and neutralize.

"Alright darling," he spoke to the robot, "let's see what you read." The x-ray camera read into the package. According to the picture there was only one wire leading to the detonator. "Whoever made this is an amateur. Last time I saw one of these was when I was twelve years old." The team chuckled. Spike went downrange to disarm the simple bomb. Carefully opening it, he successfully completed his job. Once the bomb was safe, he took a closer look at it and saw that it wasn't very dangerous, that it wouldn't hurt anyone but really meant for a scare. He saw a piece of paper taped inside and pulled it out to see what it said. He saw a heart with an X inside it, the same drawing the shooter left. "Guys?"

BANG!

Another bomb went off! It caused the doorway to be blocked so no one could go check on Spike. It knocked everyone back, knocking them out unconscious. Spike was in pain and his ears were ringing loudly. He tried to get up but couldn't, even breathing was difficult. Before he passed out, a human figure was standing over him. Spike slipped into the abyss, hoping for the best.

The team eventually woke up, ringing and pain coursing through each of their bodies. "Is everyone alright?" Sarge asked in pain.

"No harm," everyone eventually said coughing. Everyone but Spike. While the team was wiping debris off themselves, Sarge tried contacting Spike. "Spike do you copy? Are you okay?" No respond. "Spike. Talk to me. What's going on with you? Spike!" Spike wasn't answering and everyone but Cass thought he died in the blast. Cass hoped that it wasn't Alan, setting the first bomb to get Spike alone then blowing a second to block the route off and grab him when he was weak. She knew his M.O. and his profile, why she helped make it!:

_We're looking for a white male in his late twenties to early thirties. He stabs his victims which tells us that he is impotent. Each stab doesn't hit any major arteries so he wants to see his victims suffer, in which we would label him a sexual sadist, meaning he gets a sexual release off of the torture of others. He cuts their hair, not only to take away their feminism and keep it as a trophy to relive the kill over and over again, but this is his was of owning them forever. This would make him a narcissist. He only values his own life. Because of his narcissism, he is most likely charming in a way that doesn't scare women because he's managed to coax smart, educated women whom he feels are threats to him, to go home with him, even when they know there's a serial killer out there._

"Fire and EMS, we need them here now Winnie!" Sarge yelled in his earpiece. Firefighters came and manage to move the debris blocking the door. When Team One got through, they saw Babycakes toppled on the floor, Spike's earpiece and anything that could help him be tracked: he was gone. A message was posted on the wall adjacent to the exit the subject used to escape reading: "Get back to HQ. You need to see something important there." Signed with the heart and X.

"Team One new deal," Sarge said angrily. "We're dealing with the Crossed Heart Shooter."

"Spike..." Cass whispered. A tear started to come down her cheek.

"Don't worry Cass," Sam said patting her shoulder. "We'll find him."

Spike woke up in a haze. Everything was a dark blur. He tried to move but his wrists and ankles were bound to a chair. He looked around to see where he was, but it was too dark. Then a bright light came on, blinding him for a moment. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw someone in front of him.

"Michelangelo Scarlatti," the voice said (Spike realized it was a man). "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in the flesh."

"Who are you?"

"Name's Alan," he grabbed Spike's jaw and raised it so he could take a better look at his face. "She always had a weird taste of everything."

"What do you mean? Who?" Alan let go of Spike's jaw.

"You know, she always went for the underdog," he pulled out a gun. "Probably because you're funny in the head." He tapped Spike's head. "She is too in there. But she had enough sense to not pick me. Why is that? What do you have that I don't have, cause I have everything: money, looks. Isn't that all a man needs? You'd think I'd own her because she came to me." He was tracing his gun on Spike's shoulders.

"Are you talking about Cassidy?" Alan pointed his gun on Spike's back, indicating he was right. "You hurt innocent people, I don't! Second, I care about her feelings and don't think about trying to own her!"

Alan pistol whipped Spike on the side of his head, causing him to cry out in pain. Spike's head started to bleed, even though it was superficial, it bled and stained his hair and neck. Alan grabbed his victim's neck and squeezed it tight. Spike felt his breathing staggered and his Adam's apple trying to fight the pressing hand. Alan leaned into Spike's ear and whispered, "no woman turns me down. In a few hours, she'll be mine."

He let go and Spike inhaled deeply to get his breath back. "What are you going to do?" he whispered because his throat still was hurting.

"To you or her? To you I'm going to wait for your team to get back to the SRU so they can see what I'm going to do to you. To her I'm going to make her crawling, begging me to take her. After what you're going to look like she'll go down easily."

Spike could only imagine what Alan was going to do to him. His only hope was to try and negotiate his way out of the team get to him, hopefully the latter one first he thought. Alan got in front of Spike and said, "it's time."

He set up a computer with a webcam. When the hooking up was done, the screen showed the briefing room of the SRU! Suddenly someone walked across the screen: it was the Boss! Alan typed away at the computer and he eventually hacked into the SRU. The screen showed the Boss turn to the large screen in the room and stare at what he saw.

Greg walked into the briefing room and stared at the screen wondering why would anyone take Spike. He turned and noticed the screen turned on by itself. what he saw next made his heart pound faster than it ever did before. He saw Spike, the young and bright cop, tied down to a chair with the cut in his head. Greg yelled for the team and every member of Team One ran into the room and showed wide eyes and opened mouths.

"Spike," Greg said not knowing if he could hear.

"Boss," Spike answered. "Can you hear me?"

"Spike," Greg said relieved. "Are you okay?"

"He is for now," said a voice. It ventured out from the shadows of the camera, it was Alan. Cass did everything not to yell at the coward holding Spike's life in his hand. "Welcome to the show. This is dedicated to someone special to this star." Alan pulled out a lit cigarette out of an ash tray laying on a nearby table. He breathed in a puff, leaned in Spike's face and breathed the smoke in his face, causing Spike to cough.

"Can you tell me why you're doing this?" Greg tried to negotiate.

"Why? Because I'm the Hair Snatcher and I have to do this." He pushed Spike's head forward causing it to expose the back of his neck. Alan took the cigarette and pressed it against his victim's neck. Spike screamed out in pain, tears running down his face as he pressed harder on his neck. Spike tried to push his head back but Alan pushed harder and Spike was becoming weak from the blood loss from his head. It clotted but his body needed to catch up on making more blood to heal the wound.

The team just stood there in agony. One of their own was being tortured in front of them and none of them could stop him. Cass knew this was for her to surrender to him. She tried not to cry but couldn't hide it along with Jules and Leah; they cried into each other and Cass turned her head and made fists, she was more angry than sad. Greg turned his head and tried not to listen to Spike's screams for help. Sam and Ed stood there angry, breathing slowly trying not to give what the bastard wanted.

"You have to look Sergeant," Alan gloated. "This guy needs all the strength he can get." Alan dropped the cigarette and walked away to get something else on the table. Spike was crying silently and breathed as best he could. His body shook from the physical and psychological torture Alan was putting him through. He came back with a three inch knife, Spike's handcuffs, and a mountain clip attached to some wire. He cut one of Spike's hand ligatures free only to cuff it. He then attached the clip to the cuffs and threw the wire over a metal bar that was over Spike. He freed Spike's other hand and cuffed it then pulled the wire so Spike hung. Spike didn't put up a fight for he was too weak and he knew it'd be pointless. Alan cut his ankles free so Spike swung freely. His wrists were in piercing pain, cutting them slightly. Alan opened Spike's black SRU jacket and used his knife to cut his undershirt. Spike's chest was exposed and Alan gently crossed his blade over the body.

"Do you know how much you have to study the human body to stab someone and they not die? I don't want to brag, but I'm somewhat of an expert." He pressed the tip of the knife across Spike's side, making a horizontal two inch cut across the skin. Spike tried to scream as loud as he could but only small and quiet gasps could out of his mouth. More pain went through his body, trying to endure it so Cass wouldn't. Blood ran down his body as Spike stopped fighting and put his head down; he had gone into complete surrender. All he could do was cry and pray that it was over. Alan smirked at the pain Spike was going through, feeling pleasure in every inch of his body. He turned to the camera and saw the team in complete tears, even Ed who never cried except when Greg was shot three times.

"You can have him back," Alan spoke. "It's not him I'm interested in."

"Then why the hell did you take him!?" Sam yelled at the screen.

"To get your attention. Someone special to this guy is who I want. You know them. They need to come alone to this location. They have one hour. If they don't come, we'll see how long Spikey here can live with his guts spilling out of him."

Cass knew it was time, now or never. Come clean or save him herself? She knew Alan and his profile and knew he was relentless, but so was she. She looked at the team, each member and their importance to life. People needed them and she hadn't talked to her mom and sister in years, ever since the fallout they had. This was her family, her friends, her team. She slowly backed up starting to leave the briefing room. Once she was out, she turned around and headed for the exit.

Alan laughed and said, "Good girl." The words haunted Cass as she walked through the front doors of the SRU. Meanwhile Ed thought _Girl? _He turned to the women of Team One and saw only Jules and Leah. He called for Cass but there was no reply. He ran out of the briefing room and looked for Cass. He started to run but almost tripped over something. He looked down and it was Cass' gun and shield. He picked them up and there was a note attached to it that said, "I'm sorry Ed. I hope you find a team member that is perfect to you."

Ed was speechless staring at the hardware. He held them close to his chest and inhaled sharply holding the tears back. Greg walked over to see what Ed was doing. The others came over too because the webcam had shut off.

"Buddy what is it?" Greg asked as a concerned friend.

"She went after him," Ed said showing them her hardware. "She went to save Spike."

"Why didn't she tell us? Why did she run away? We can help."

"Cass told me one time that this team was the best thing that happened to her since graduating high school. I think she ran to protect usm, like she's going to protect Spike now," Sam said sadly. "She doesn't want us to stop her. She's stubborn."

"She's also an ex-fed," Leah said. "She knows how to hide."

"Fed," Sarge thought out loud. "What if this guy was on her radar when she worked for the FBI? He's after her now? Let's call the BAU to find out who this guy is and what kind of agent Cassidy is."

The team went to work calling the FBI to get information on the former Agent Maclaren.

**THANK YOU FOR THE LOVELY COMMENTS! I'M GLAD WHAT I'M WRITING IS CATCHING PEOPLE'S INTERESTS. I'M WRITING THE NEXT CHAPTER SO IT SHOULD BE UP SOON HOPEFULLY! KEEP READING AND I HOPE I DIDN'T OFFEND ANYONE IN THIS CHAPTER.**


	7. Profiler, Profiled

**Hello everyone! ****I was getting comments and I thank you VERY much for them! One was why someone who worked for the FBI that now works for the SRU didn't tell her team about the pattern. As, I hope you continue to read, you'll understand why she never told them. ****I do not own Flashpoint or anything belonging to it except the character Cassidy Maclaren.**

* * *

As Cassidy drove to the location, she thought about so much that was happening. She thought about the love of her life's life being held in the hand of a dangerous serial killer. She thought about the team she left to protect. She thought about Ed who never really accepted her for who she was, that she wasn't next to perfect. She thought about her unborn child that she and Spike made together and he didn't even know about it. She knew what she was doing that day. At that moment. She wanted to have a kid but no guy could love her for who she was. Any guy that could love her quirks, she thought, was worth keeping. She wasn't on birth control and they didn't use protection the first time but she didn't care. She was excited to have a child but scared that she would be risking their lives to save it's father.

"Hello SSA Downey. This is Sgt. Gregory Parker of the Strategic Response Unit in Toronto, Ontario," Greg had finally managed to get the FBI on the phone. Apparently the phone line was busy. "I need to ask you about Cassidy Maclaren."

"Parker has something happened to her? She's a good kid."

"I know she is. She ran away a while age to protect one of our own. The subject called himself the Hair Snatcher. Does he have a relation with Cassidy?"

"Oh," the agent said like what-have-you-done-Cassidy tone. "She was one of the agents that took him down. He killed eighteen women and took their hair as trophies. He managed to get away and kill two more women, not including the original eighteen. She went undercover for almost two years and we managed to get him. He went away for ten years... and then he escaped recently. He went under the radar so there was no paper trail. He must have found Cassidy because she left the BAU while he was still incarcerated."

"What can you tell me about a heart with an X in the middle of it? He left it on his latest three victims via paper."

"He has a tattoo on his right wrist. He knows Cassidy knows that so that's how he identified himself to her in secret. I also need to tell you, Parker, that these two went to high school together. She was different back then so he never recognized her when she went undercover. She knew his profile before he became a killer so she was the best person to do it."

"May I have his profile? It can help us to find him and our team members." The agent gave Greg the profile.

"Parker, when we apprehended him he came out and we sent a SWAT team in to secure the area. He had a detonator and blew up the building killing every SWAT agent. She felt like it was her fault because she was undercover on him so she thought she should have known he'd do something like that. If she left it was to protect you guys. Get her back, she can be slow in the head but her feelings of love for others aren't. She's a good person with her mother's looks and her father's eyes and heart. You find this SOB and nail his head to the wall!"

"We're going to do everything we can to get her back. Believe me Agent, this is hard for us too. Goodbye." Greg hung up the phone and paused to think about the things he was just told.

"Okay team," Greg said to the team. "Let's save her."

"This profile," Sam said in amazement reading it. "It's so detailed, so dark. No wonder she left, she didn't want to lose her innocence."

"Well this profile says that this sick guy is obsessed with Cassidy," Ed pointed out. "If he wanted her, why didn't he shoot her when he had the chance?"

"He's a sadist," Leah answered. "And a sexual one to boot."

"What does that even mean!?" Ed shouted and punched the box of evidence across the room. Ed's anger gauge was overflowing now. He started to sniper breath to get his head back. "I-I'm sorry. I- Heaven knows what he's doing to them. Why them?" He paused at what he said. "Why them. Alan said that he wanted the person closest to Spike and his mom's in Italy. You don't think..."

"Spike and Cass together?" Jules asked. "Wouldn't surprise me. They seemed really nice together. I noticed that she had a glow to her but I never mentioned it to her. You can't fight emotions." She looked at Sam and grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"He wants her to suffer and he knew that they were together. He took Spike to torture HER," Ed said. "But not physically, psychologically."**  
**

Sam looked over at the pile of scattered papers and evidence. He walked over to pick it up. "According to the agent, Cassidy's autism cracked the case because she saw a pattern that the others couldn't see. Autistic people can pick up patterns that normal minds wouldn't pick up."

"Patterns," Sam said to himself as he looked at the first note the subject left on the first male vic. The drawing was very detailed but he saw something in it when he looked at it on a different angle. "He's obsessed with Cass." He picked up the paper and stared at it.

"We established that Sam," Leah joked.

"No, no. Look at this picture. Look closely," Sam showed the picture to Greg. "Right there, it's a number! See it?" Sam was frantic now.

"Yes," Greg did see the number. "I do see it. We need to see those other papers!"

Leah and Jules went through the evidence box and found the other two papers. They looked at them closely and saw the other two numbers.

"Okay we found the numbers but what about the street name?" Ed asked.

"It's like I've seen these numbers before," Jules noted. "But I can't remember where."

"Spike was screaming and the room was big," Leah pointed out. "Wherever they are, it has to be secluded and far from civilization. This guys took his victims to secondary location. They probably screamed so he needs seclusion for Spike and Cass."

"Like a farm?" Greg asked.

"Wait," Jules remembered what she forgot. "Those numbers are country roads! The first one is the road name and the last two are the house number. County road 3, address 21."

"Team One gear up!" Ed shouted. "Time to save Cassidy!"

* * *

While the team was trying to find Cass, she got the address that Alan gave her the night before. She exited the car and walked in the building. She walked through the hallway, looking around to try and find Spike. She didn't have a weapon to fight back with, only her. She then heard an amplified voice.

"Keep walking forward and go through the door at the end of the hall."

_Alan, _she thought. She continued to walk even thought she wanted to run like hell. She wanted to save Spike, this was her fight, not his. But it was his as soon as Alan kidnapped Spike. She kept calm as she put her hand on the door handle. She shook to open it, but told herself to keep it together, Spike needed her to be strong and Alan wanted fear. She opened the door and she saw the most horrid thing she had ever seen. Spike was tied to the chair and Alan was behind him. Spike was barely conscious and the only thing keeping his eyes open was the knife being held to his throat; he was hurt more than what she saw when she left HQ. Cass shut the door behind her and stood there.

"Glad you made it," Alan smirked. "Now how have you been?"

"Let him go Alan!" she demanded.

"Don't push me dearie."

"It's Maclaren to you, scum."

"What? No Cass anymore?"

"You know what I am and what I was. I know you Alan." She started to walk forward to them.

"Is that why you came alone? You don't want to get another SWAT team killed? Afraid you're going to break down like that one agent in Quantico?"

"He was a good agent but he ran away from his fear. I'm not leaving without him," she was pointing to Spike.

"So are you here to surrender to me? Realize that I'm only the man for you?"

"You should know that I don't surrender to scum like you. And why would I want someone like you? You hurt innocent people, he doesn't. He loves me for who I am, you only care about a girl's body type. And I love him for who he is. I only feel sorry for you. What happened to you to turn you to a killer?"

"Are you saying you won't be mine?" he asked ignoring the question.

"Over my dead body."

Alan became enraged and he lifted his knife to make the kill shot on Spike but Cass ran towards the two and grabbed Alan's arm to swing it away from Spike. She fought with him until she managed to get the knife away. She knocked it out of his hands and threw him across the room. She then grabbed the knife and freed Spike from his binds, but he was very weak from the torture so he couldn't get away as fast as he wanted to. Knowing she was there gave him hope once more.

She tried to get him to the exit but Alan got up and grabbed Cass and threw her on the floor. He started to kick her and she remembered the baby. She grabbed his kicking leg and pulled him to the floor and started to punch him. She knocked her fists into his chest and gave all she got. He was out cold and she got off him to help Spike out.

But he wasn't out. He saw the knife on the floor and grabbed it and threw his arm at whatever body he could reach. The knife went in Cass' left hamstring. She cried out in pain, forcing her to drop herself and Spike. She laid on her stomach, shaking in pain from the knife in her leg. She looked at Spike, battered and bruised. She reached her hand out to try and touch him, comfort him in any way she could. "It's going to be okay," she whispered. Spike felt a ray of hope go through him which gave him strength to reach his hand out to touch hers. Their hands almost touched but were separated by a foot. Alan stepped on Cass' hand and pressed harder and harder. She tried to scream but barely anything came out, only light gasps.

"I should finish you off now," Alan said spitting out blood. She had beaten him up pretty good. He had a broken nose, bruises on his neck and chest and blood on his body. He gripped the knife in Cass' leg and was ready to pull it out when a beep was heard. Alan let go of the knife and reached in his pocket. He grabbed his phone and saw three SUVs pulling into the driveway of the building the three were in. Secret cameras were on the front doors and they were connected to his phone. He leaned into Cass' ear and whispered, "This isn't over. I will find you again and I will make sure you pay." He ran through a door and disappeared.

The team made a stealth entry in the building, their MP5s up and aimed with the flashlights on. After searching the premises, they saw the door at the end of the hallway. They busted the door down and everyone was yelling, "Police! SRU!" They saw Spike and Cass on the floor, Cass with a knife in her thigh and Spike barely breathing. Ed went to Cass while Greg went to Spike, the other went to get EMS and search for Alan.

"He's gone," Cass whispered. A tear was falling from Cass' eye looking at her team leader, feeling like she failed him. She closed her eyes so as not to look at him, thinking he was going to tell her that she was being selfish when she left.

"Cassidy, open your eyes!" Ed told her. "Stay with me."

"I failed you. I'm sorry."

"No, no Cassidy. You didn't fail me. You didn't. Where's the medic!?" Ed yelled for the medic to get there faster. Being a big building it would take a while for them to get there. Ed leaned in Cass' face to talk to her privately. "Cassidy listen to me, I know why you left. I know what happened when Alan was arrested, with those SWAT agents. You need to know that I'm proud of you. Do you hear me, I'm proud of you because you gave me proof that you're what Team One needed: innocence." Cass cried at what Ed told her; she wasn't a failure to him, that her autism wasn't a hindrance but a gift. The blood loss in her leg was increasing and she was losing consciousness.

"No. No Cassidy! Come on, stay with me! Please stay with me! Don't leave us! You can't leave us." Everything was going black in Cass' eyes. She heard Ed whisper "Don't leave me," before she blacked out.

Ed was yelling at Cass to wake up but she wasn't responding. Paramedics came to tend to the two.

* * *

**Thank you for reading my story and I will keep going. **


	8. Two Traumas

**I'm on a roll here! THANK YOU FOR THOSE COMPLEMENTING ME ON MY FIRST STORY! EVERYONE IS WONDERING IF THE BABY WILL BE OKAY AND TO MAKE SURE OUR GOOD-LOOKING, FUN-LOVING AND HANDSOME ITALIAN SPIKE IS HAPPY ABOUT THE PREGNANCY. Thanks to 15 seasons of ER, I am able to know about hospital procedures. Continue to read and find out if the baby lives.**

**I also drew the cover picture for this story. ****It's what Cass looks like. I****s it good? **

***I DO NOT own Flashpoint, ER, or anything belonging to any of them. I only own the character Cassidy Maclaren because I made her. :)**

* * *

Two ambulances drove off with Spike in one and Cass in the other. There was no room in their for any SRU officer to ride with them so they had to drive to the hospital in the SUVs. The ambulances got to St. Simon's with the trauma teams ready for the officers. The paramedics explained the condition of the patients as they rolled them into the joint trauma rooms.

"Thirty-four year old male. Has two two-inch laceration on either side of his chest. Major bruising on the chest and abdomen. Cigarette burns on the back of his neck. Complains of chest pain and his vitals are normal."

"Take him to Trauma One," one of the doctors said. He ran towards the other ambulance as the paramedics opened the doors. "Twenty-nine year old female. Stab wound to the left hamstring. Lost a pint of blood in the field. Had a loss of consciousness. Vitals are normal."

"Trauma Two," the same doctor went with Cass as he rolled her to the second trauma room. Team One got there when the ambulances did and tried to follow them in the rooms but the doctors said that there wasn't enough room so they had to wait outside the rooms, but they stayed close. Both patients were hooked up to IVs and monitors reading their heart rates. The main doctor, named Dr. Lancaster, was ordering medicine and tests for Cass when interrupted.

"Cassidy," they already asked her her name. "If we don't give you medicine and test, you might die."

"Please, I'm pregnant and the officer on the table in that room is the father. He doesn't know. Please don't tell him."

"Thank you for telling us so we'll treat you differently with special medicine and different tests. Doctor-patient privilege so I can't tell him but I think you should."

"What are they doing to him now?" She tried to see into the other room but the swinging doors were blocking her view.

"It looks like they just put in a chest tube."

"What's your name sir?" another doctor, named Dr. Wolfe.

"Mike... Scarlatti," he struggled to say.

"Okay Mike, we're going to to put a tube in your chest to re-inflate your lung. It collapsed." The doctor prepped Spike's chest to cut and put the tube in. While the doctor put the tube in, Spike just breathed like he didn't feel the tube go in.

"You didn't feel that going in?" a young intern asked Spike, amazed at the fact that Spike didn't flinch.

"I was just tortured," he replied he tried to joke. "And I'm an SRU officer. This is nothing."

The tube was successfully inserted in Spike's chest as a nurse came in from the other room to ask Dr. Wolfe if they could open the door so the two patents could speak to each other. The doctor agreed and the nurse kept the door open so Spike and Cass could talk.

"Michael," Cass called out to him. "You doing okay?"

"Wonder Girl," Spike answered. "I just got a tube put in my chest."

"Sexy," she laughed gently. "Michael I need to tell you something." She was ready to tell him that she was pregnant, but her heart started to go into an abnormal rhythm which caused her to lose consciousness.

"She's in V-fib! Get me an amp of epi and charge the paddles to 200!" Everyone was frantically running around the room trying to save Cass and the door shut, causing Spike to not see what was happening.

"What's happening in there?" Spike asked extremely concerned.

"They're shocking her heart and giving her medicine to get it pumping again. Now we need to get you a CAT Scan in case there is any internal bleeding. We're taking you up now." The doctors rolled Spike's table out of the room almost running over the other SRU officers.

"Where are you taking him?" Ed ordered. "And what about Cassidy?"

"CT," Dr. Lancaster answered as he and a nurse went into the elevator. "And you'll have to check with the other doctor working on her." The elevator doors closed leaving Ed to check on Cass. He ran to the other trauma room only for the doctors to roll her out to get her to surgery. Ed asked them what was happening.

"Sir, if you're not family I can't explain her condition."

"We ARE her family!" Ed was surprised for a second that he said she was family. "She's one of us. I'm her team leader."

"We have to take her up to surgery. She has lost too much blood and we have to fix it before she loses anymore. Hold that elevator!"

"Tell me she's going to be okay!" The doctor and nurse got into the elevator.

"We're going to do everything we can." The door shut and Ed was left with his team. He knew what it was like now, when he told victim's families and friends what the doc told him now. Ed could only pace back and forth, Greg trying to calm him down.

"They're going to be okay," Greg comforted his team leader and friend. "You know Spike, he's strong and as for Cass, she's stubborn. I don't think she would die even if she looked death in the face." Ed cracked a slight smile.

"Greg Parker?" a nurse came running down the stairs.

"Yes?" he answered to her. "What is it?"

"Cassidy wants to talk to you before she goes under." Greg followed the nurse up the stairs; she said it was faster to climb the stairs than wait for the elevator. "Team," Greg loudly said before slipping upstairs, "stay here. I'll stay up in surgery until she's out."

The team was left there, standing in fear, praying and hoping that their two team members come out of the hospital alive.

Spike was in the CT machine, just lying as still as he could. He could get up and leave even if he wanted to; he was too weak from the beating and there was a tube sticking out of him. The table he was on slid into the hole of the machine as his body was being scanned for any bleeding. After the scanning, he came out and Dr. Lancaster came in the room.

"Mike, you have a tear in your spleen. This can be serious if we don't operate on it. You'll have to sign a consent for the surgery. You can sign once we leave the room."

A couple of hospital employees helped Spike move from the CT machine to the gurney for he was still too weak to move. They rolled him out of the room and Spike signed the consent for the operation. When he was being rolled to the elevator, Ed came running up the stairs before they could get in it.

"Spike you okay?" Ed asked out of breath.

"Yeah, I just need an operation," he said so calmly. "Hey Ed, could you do me a favour?"

"Anything."

"Can you tell Cass that I love her?"

"You can tell her yourself. But I will anyway." He smiled at Spike as he and the doctors rolled into the elevator to go to surgery.

"Wait! You _knew_?"_  
_

"Of course I knew," Ed smiled as the elevator doors closed. Spike smiled at the fact that Ed knew about him and Cass.

Cass was in the surgical prep room, waiting for the surgeons finish scrubbing. She asked for Greg because she had to talk.

"Hey you wanted me?"

"Greg, I need to tell you some important things. First, I'm pregnant."

"Oh, that's wonderful! May I ask who the father is?"

"Spike."

"_Our _Spike?"

"Yeah. I haven't told him. Please don't tell him. I was scared and I still am, but I'm also excited to have this baby. And another thing, before you guys came he told me that he would haunt me for as long as I live. I hope that when you did your research on me, you learned that when Alan says he's going to do a job, he does it. He will try to find me again and kill me, and he'll probably try to hurt me by hurting you guys. Whatever happens to me, Greg, I died. Promise me you'll tell the team that I lost too much blood and my heart stopped beating."

"We can protect you Cass. You're going to be fine and we're going to find him."

"No Greg. I know Alan and I know he's relentless. He's going to find me and hurt the people I care about: you guys. I need to go into witness protection. No one can know where I am. Please Greg. Please, you can save me by telling the team I died and if they want to see me, tell them I didn't want them to see me like this: opened up and equipment hanging out of me. Promise me!"

"I think I miss you already," Greg said sadly to her. He took her hand and petted it. "Okay. I promise to tell the team you died. Can _we_ at least keep in touch? Check in on how you're doing?"

"Yeah," Cass smiled at her sergeant.

"Sir," the surgeon came from the scrubbing room, "we have to go now."

"Boss," Cass said before the door closed. "Tell Spike I love him."

"I will," and the doors closed. Ed then came bursting through the doors of the stairs, out of breath and looking for the Sarge and Cass.

"Greg," Ed said out of breath. "Where's Cass?"

"They just took her to the operating room."

"Spike wanted me to give her a message."

"I think there's an observation room." The two senior officers went to the observation room to find Cass. They found the room and went in and saw a giant window showing the operating room and a speaker on the same wall. They walked to the window and pressed the button.

"Hey doc," Greg said in the microphone. "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah," the surgeon answered. "What do you need? I'm ready to operate and she's already out." Cass had a tube in her mouth going down her wind pipe, which was connected to a ventilator.

"I wanted to give her a message, but I guess I'm late."

"Buddy, I can give her the message. You should wait with the team, they need their team leader. What's the message?"

"Spike wanted me to tell Cass that he loves her."

Greg smiled. "Can you tell him the same thing? She said the same thing."

Ed smiled as he nodded his head and left the observation room to find Spike. Greg sat in one of the chairs as he waited for the surgery to be over.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team had slowly followed Ed upstairs to the surgical floor and waited in the chairs outside the main rooms. Ed saw them as he was about to go into another O.R. and just shook his head. He knew his team wasn't going to wait in a busy E.R. where the rest of their team wasn't. Ed found the O.R. where Spike was and he was about to go under with the anesthesia. He pressed the button and spoke to Spike.

"Spike, whatever happens, Cass loves you too, and always will," Ed had hoped that Spike heard. As Spike drifted off, those words repeated in his head: Cass love you too.

Hours seemed to go by as the team waited for their team members to get out of surgery safely. Ed came out first and let the team know that Spike was going to live. They sighed a sigh of relief at the news. Everyone was hugging each other laughing with happiness. Greg then came out and saw how happy the team was. Leah ran towards Greg and told him that Spike was going to be okay. He enlightened the news but his body language was telling another story. The team stopped celebrating when they saw that the Boss wasn't happy.

"Boss," Sam asked, "what is it?"

"She didn't make it," Greg lied. She had survived the surgery and was put in the ICU so as not to see the other SRU members. "She lost too much blood. The knife hit an artery and she bled out too quickly to be saved."

Everyone was in shock at the news. Jules cried into Sam's arms as he started to cry too. Leah sat back in the chair sobbing. Ed just stood there, his head turned to the floor, angry. Greg knew he told them a lie, but Cass told him to, as long as she was alive, Alan would find her and take her team down. The Sarge left to go tell Spike the horrible news.

Spike was waking up from the anesthesia. He looked around the room and saw other beds with people in them and a tube in his mouth. He felt it in his throat and noticed that it was VERY uncomfortable. "_No wonder they put you out when they put these things in,"_ he thought. A doctor came in the room and saw that Spike was awake.

"Mike," the surgeon said. "The surgery went well and we managed to mend your spleen. Do you want to take that thing out now?"

Spike nodded and the surgeon took the ventilator off and used a syringe to push something in.

"Now when I pull this out and say so, you cough okay? Ready, and cough."

The surgeon pulled the tube and Spike coughed. It hurt when he pulled it out and coughing wasn't helping.

"Don't try to speak. It'll hurt too much."

Spike nodded his head and just laid in the bed.

"Your team sergeant is outside. Did you want to see him?" Spike nodded. The surgeon left the room and came back with the Boss. The surgeon left the room to give them privacy. Spike mouthed 'hey', trying not to talk. He pointed to his throat, saying that he couldn't talk for a while.

"Spike I need to tell you something and you have to be strong." Spike listened closely at what he had to say. "Surgeons worked on Cass but her heart went into an abnormal rhythm. They shocked her heart and gave her medicine but her heart couldn't take anymore and she died."

Spike heart sank at the news. Memories came flooding through his mind: Lew, his dad. Everyone that was close to him was slipping away from him, he told himself that one day, and he felt he was right. He let Cass get close. That day when he made love to her, it wasn't about protocol, it was about her getting close but he went where his heart told him to go. He felt like a disease that when anyone got close enough to him, they'd leave him.

He shook his head and tried to say 'no' but it hurt too much. Greg needed Spike to believe the story so he told him again that Cass was dead. Spike started to cry and put his hands on his face. It hurt Greg to tell Spike a lie like this, but he had hoped that they would see Cass again. Sarge left the room to give Spike a couple of minutes alone to absorb the news. Spike was left in his hospital bed, sobbing over Cass' death. The tears stained the sides of his cheeks and pillow he was laying on. His body too tired to stay awake, eventually fell asleep crying softly.

* * *

**Oh no! Spike thinks Cass is dead and she is actually alive. I hope when you read it, you understood why she had to 'die'. More chapters to come so stay tuned!**


	9. Grief Counselling

**Last time, Greg told his team that Cass had died in the O.R. He didn't tell them, however that she was pregnant with Spike's child. This chapter will delve into the grief counselling that Greg himself will conduct for each member of the team. It has been a couple of weeks since that day.**

**Italics are flashbacks of the grieving person and Cass.**

* * *

The briefing room turned into a 'grief'-ing room as one at a time, each member of Team One went in to talk to Greg about losing Cass. First up was Ed; if the team leader wasn't able to deal with the tragedy, no one could for they all looked up to him. Greg was already in the room, sitting in one of the chairs. The windows and metal door of the room shut behind Ed as Greg motioned with his hand to tell him to sit. Ed did so a sighed a sigh saying: what-is-the-point-of-this.

"So I'm here to do what?" Ed started out angrily. "Talk about losing Cassidy? Did Holleran put you up to this?"

"The assessment's routine," Greg answered. "Holleran wanted to bring an outsider in but I insisted on doing it myself. I figured it'd be better talking to me than someone else."

"So you want to know what stage of grieving we're all at, huh?" Greg nodded. "Can't be doubt, I'm not the one who's dead, am I?" Ed went through the other stages out loud. "Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance. Clearly I haven't accepted it so that leaves me at angry. Angry." He paused at the word and thought about it. "Yeah. Yeah every time I look at her locker, I wonder why she had to go. You're damn right I'm angry!"

_"Why didn't you tell me about it?" Ed asked angrily at Cass._

_"You don't have to know everything about me," she knew it was about her autism._

_"I'm the team leader of course I have to know. If there's a problem with my team, we can't be Team One then. We have to deal with the toughest calls more than any other team on the force. If you can't be truthful to me now, I won't be able to trust you later."_

_Cass was ready to cry, Ed yelling at her or any yelling she wasn't use to. She felt like a failure when her autism stopped her from being a 'normal' person._

_"Am I a flaw to you?" she asked him. "To you, do I even deserve to be on YOUR team?"_

_"You know you only got on MY team because of your FBI status. You don't know what it's like to be a real cop. So I guess you might be a flaw."_

"A flaw," Ed said leaving his head of memories. "I called her a flaw to my team. I'm the one with the flaw! She was a good cop and I let something as who she was get in the way of me seeing that. How am I suppose to deal with that?"

"All you can do is move on and think of the good memories."

"I can't think of any. All I can remember are the bad ones." "_You're a flaw to my team!"_

The words haunted Ed, now looking back. He was angry with himself mostly. "Did she leave to protect the team? Or was it more than that? Did she leave to prove something to me? That she wasn't a flaw? That she was worthy of being here? I should have never judged her. She went through so much when she was young, she reminded me that cops are human; we have feelings and pasts too. We can be the subjects sometimes."

* * *

"Why did he have to kill her?" Jules asked. "She was innocent!"

"I know she was," Greg comforted the female officer.

"I'm not use to being talked to. I feel like a subject. I know I came here to talk but I don't want to talk about her being gone. Can I talk about what music she liked?"

"Sure," Sarge answered with a slight smile on his face; Jules was in the denial stage still.

"She always like listening to Daughtry. She said she liked the way his voice sounded: raspy. She liked any singer that had a raspy voice. She also like P!nk and Hedley and Adele." Jules took a breath. "She was quite the girl."

_Jules and Cass had had a girl's night where they exchanged CDs. Jules liked light folk music where Cass was more into the light rockers. They put the radio on and Jewel's "You Were Meant for Me" came on. _

_"I love this song," she exclaimed._

_"Me too!" Jules said excited. __Cass and Jules started to sing to it. At the end of the song, Jules noticed something in Cass' eyes._

_"You were singing that for someone," Jules hinted at her. "Weren't you?" She nudged her arm._

_"None of your business," Cass joked around. Jules waited for an answered. "Okay, there MIGHT be someone."_

_"Who? Who?"_

_"Surprise."_

_"You big tease! More than Sam." Cass smiled._

"I knew she was seeing someone, I just didn't know who. Now I see it. After how she was around Spike, it was like me and Sam," she smiled at what she said. "Must have been true love, Spike NEVER gets a girl it seems."

Greg smiled at the statement.

* * *

"I haven't been in a seat like this since my sister died when I was nine," Sam said looking at the floor. "At that time, I kind of knew that my parents didn't want to deal with it so I told them what they wanted to hear."

"You don't have to do that here," Greg reminded the ex-military man.

"It's just..." Sam was starting to break down. "It's not fair that she's gone. All because of some guy who wanted control over her. She had a whole team to help her. She must have known she was going to die, otherwise she wouldn't have left her stuff here."

_After Cass and Jules were done exchanging CDs, they went to see Sam who was having trouble rearranging the furniture in the living room._

_"You having trouble there Sammy?" Cass asked him laughing._

_"I can't seem to find any place to rearrange this stuff," he answered exhausted._

_"Well let's see," Cass grabbed the notepad from Sam's hands and looked at the drawings he composed. If she didn't know better, she'd thought that a five year old drew these._

_"No, no, no," she said. "This won't do." She started scribbling on a new piece of paper. After she showed the two._

_"Wow," Sam said. "How do you do that?"_

_"It comes with the autism. People like me think very logically and we see patterns that minds like yours wouldn't normally pick up."_

_"So you're smarter than me?" Sam joked._

_"In pattern-seeking anyway," Cass smiled and they all laughed._

"I never understood why Ed never accepted the fact she had autism," Sam told Greg. "She was just like you or me, she just thought differently. I thought she was an asset to our team. Did she run away because she wanted to prove to Ed that she was brave, cause I know she was brave. Stubborn, but still brave."

* * *

"Cass was such a good girl," Leah told Greg. "Such a funny girl. She always joked, especially about men."

_It was a girl's night out with Cass, Jules, Leah and even Winnie. They went to the Goose for a couple rounds. Cass was the only one that wasn't drinking because she didn't like the taste, not to mention she mentioned that people's parents that were alcoholics were more likely to be alcoholics themselves. Cass always had facts and statistics on about everything. The women sat around the table and talked."_

_"Winnie," Leah spoke, "after a date like that I think it was a fail."_

_"I wouldn't say that Leah," Winnie replied._

_"Are you seeing him again?" Jules asked._

_"No."_

_"Failure," Cass remarked. "He's another guy that only after one thing and he don't need any tracking devices to help him." The ladies laughed._

_"But Leah," Winnie noted, "I hear you have a new man."_

_"I heard that too," Jules complemented. "I also heard that he's a gentleman."_

_"Now what do you think a gentleman is there Jules?" Cass asked._

_"I don't know."_

_"Opens the door for you?"_

_"Hmm."_

_"Pulls the chair out when you sit down?"_

_"Hmm."_

_"Holds your hand when you're walking down the street with him?"_

_"Aww, yes."_

_"Yes. Dirty bastard. That's only for a show to get the girl. After they only want to play games."_

_"Oh Cass," Jules said. "Not all men are sex-manics."_

_"What rock are you living under?" Cass asked. "Yes they are. I saw this one guy in a movie theater, he took his willy out and started playing with it!"_

_"Oh my goodness!" Winnie exclaimed. _

_"It's because of weirdos like him that I tell guys that I'm a cop, so they think I always have my gun on me," Leah said._

_"And she wonders why she can't get a man," Cass joked to the other women. Everyone laughed._

"Even when her father came in and I went to check on her, she came to work the day after and kept herself together. Her leaving to protect us, that's strength I've never seen before."

* * *

Spike was the last to be interviewed. He didn't feel like talking but he had to.

"You knew about us?" Spike asked Greg.

"Yeah."

"I loved her Boss. We... were together. I never felt so close to anyone before than when I was with her. She always seemed to brighten up my day, even when it was cold and rainy."

_Three weeks Spike and Cass were going out. They laid in his bed together, the rest of his apartment empty. Only their heartbeats and breathing could be heard on that warm, June day. Their company so loving. _

_"Do you ever think about the future?" Cass asked him._

_"All the time," Spike answered. "I always wondered if I'd find a woman like you. You're great."_

_"Ever think about kids?"_

_"Sometimes. I just never found the right woman to have them with. I might even have them with you."_

_She looked up at her man. She touched his chest and rubbed it gently. He wrapped his arm around her and smothered her with kisses all over her mouth, face and neck. She moaned in pleasure at the gestures as she gently grabbed her lover and let him know how she was feeling. They made love over and over again that weekend. _

"I could have saved her. I could have stopped him from hurting her."

"Spike you were beaten senseless. You couldn't have done anything even if you wanted to. You can't blame yourself."

"Why? Should I blame someone else? Well I do, I blame Alan. If it wasn't for him," he had to stop because he couldn't finish his sentence. "You know, we come to you but where do you go? How do you feel about all this?"

"I'm feeling how you are: wishing she were still here with us. Spike I miss her too. Every single day." Greg grabbed Spike's hand and rubbed it saying that it was going to be okay.

* * *

**There's the grief counselling. I hope I can still write more often but I think I'm getting my future started soon. So if I don't update sooner than usual, it's my future. Please keep reading and let me know how I'm doing. Poor Spike... Even writing this I wanted to cry...**


	10. Ten Months Later

**Thank you dawnpritchard66 for reading and encouraging me to write this! 3**

**Ten months since that day and Spike is trying to find Alan. Meanwhile Greg is keeping track of Cass while she is in protective custody.**

* * *

_"Michael help!" Cass yelled as Alan held a knife to her throat._

_"No!" The knife slit Cass' knife and Alan mysteriously disappeared. Spike grabbed Cass and tried to stop the bleeding. She whispered. "I have to tell you something," but she died in his arms._

Spike woke up from the same nightmare he's been having for the past eight months. He put his head in his hands trying to catch his breath. He looked at his bed and remembered Cass lying beside him, telling him that he was so good to her.

RING RING RING!

His alarm clock went off, as if the dream knew when he had to wake up for work. He slouched to his washroom and stared at his mirror. He got ready for the day and headed to work via car. He put the radio and heard 'Trip', the same song Cass sung when they had that day off. He had to switch the radio off because he couldn't hear it without almost bursting out into tears.

The rest of the day was bland, having the occasional hot call. Spike made sure everyone, even Winnie, was gone when he came out of the change room. He sat down in Winnie's chair and started typing; he was trying to find Alan. He was trying to find him for the past nine months but he had no luck. The team told him to move on but as he continued to type he thought, "I'll move on when that S.O.B. that killed my Cass is either in jail or the ground."

* * *

Greg got home after shift. Dean was at the police academy so he always stayed late there, to feel what life as a cop was really like. Greg looked at the clock and saw 7:11pm. He turned on the computer and opened up his webcam. He saw names that all had a red dote beside them, but one dot turned green. He clicked on the name and a person came on his screen. The person was a dirty-blonde woman with glasses and a nose piercing. She smiled at Greg.

"Hey Sarge," the woman said. "How's it going?"

"Cass," he smiled. "It's going good. I see you're blond now."

"Oh I always was they just told me that I needed to change my hair so I went back to my natural colour."

"I like it. How's the baby?"

"He's good. Thanks for Spike's shirt. He really likes his Daddy's smell. I think he wants to see him. How is the team doing? How's Spike? I miss all you."

"They're managing and we miss you too. I think Spike is trying to find Alan, he always stays late to get on Winnie's computers. He hasn't had any luck."

"He's going to burn himself out. You don't find him, he finds you. I should know."

A baby started crying in the background. Cass rolled her chair to the crib and picked up the child.

"Aww," Greg said. "He has Spike's hair. And your eyes."

"Thanks Boss."

"Pick a name yet?"

"I was thinking Todd. Todd Dominique Scarlatti."

"Nice. How are YOU holding up?"

"Alright I guess. I have pictures so I don't forget faces but it's not the same as the real thing. Oh," the baby was squirming in her arms. "Todd's in a clinging stage. He's a squirmy one."

"Feisty just like his parents. I guess you need to go."

"Sorry Sarge. Being a single mom is hard."

"Cass," he looked right into the camera, "you're going to make a great parent."

"Thank you for everything Sarge," and Cass shut the screen to her laptop and the conversation was over.

* * *

**Sorry that it's so short but putting chapters together wouldn't be a good writing idea, not to mention it would get REALLY confusing. I figured this chapter was to clear stuff out. Now as we read on, the story stirs up again. BTW, I never said where Cass was for a reason. We'll find out later. Review. 3**


	11. The Break He Was Looking For

**Fast-paced chapter uploading here! Time to get some action!**

* * *

Spike had a day off but he did anything but relax. He continued to look for Alan by using his own personal laptop. He had an account with the police database so he decided to look up something new. He typed recent murders with the same signature of the Hair Snatcher. One hit came up. Spike's heart started to race, hoping that this was the break he was looking for.

_George "GT" Donnelly _

_Age 30 _

_COD Blood Loss _

_Notes: -known gang member _

_-__found in an alley off of King _

_-__Hair cut_

___-Heart with X in middle drawn on forehead_

Spike printed off the information and decided to go to the Barn to tell the others. The drive seemed like something was trying to keep him from getting to his team. He eventually got to HQ and ran in the doors. He saw the team coming out of the briefing room. They were surprised when they saw him and asked him what the matter was.

"I think I have a lead on Alan!"

"What?" Ed said surprised and shocked.

"I didn't want to tell you anything until I was sure it was him."

"Spike,"Greg said. "We don't have any evidence to arrest him and are you doing this for justice or vengeance?"

"This guy killed how many women, tortured me and killed Cass. He deserves to go to jail just because!"

"HOT CALL! HOT CALL!" Winnie yelled in the background. "Shooting at Queen's Park. Calling cards were left on the bodies with a heart and X on them."

The team ran towards the gun cage to gear up and Spike was following them.

"What are you doing?" Sarge asked him.

"I'm coming with you," Spike put a sidearm on his belt and started putting on a bulletproof vest. "He recently killed a gang member and his signature is all over this crime. Don't try to talk me out of coming with you. I want this guy!"

Spike did come with the team to the park. The ride was pretty much silent, the elephant in the room (or SUV in this case) only Winnie talking to Sarge. They got to the park and spread out, looking for Alan. The team was divided into three pairs: Sam and Jules, Sarge and Ed, Spike and Leah. The had their MP5s and sidearm (Spike) out and ready. The shots were fired in the bush area of the park so visuals were low.

Ed and Sarge were on a path, each step taken carefully. Suddenly everything went black for the two officers; two men struck them on the head with guns and, pain shooting through the rest of their bodies, they passed out cold. The men dragged the SRU officers into a nearby car and their wrists and ankles were tied up, along with their mouths being taped up.

Sam and Jules were in a heavily bushed area, trudging through the terrain. Sam was behind Jules, making sure no one was going to sneak up on her. Suddenly Sam fell to the ground and his MP5 flew from his arm. He had a blur for a second, understanding what had just happened to him. He then felt someone get on top his back and tie his wrists up. He tried calling out to Jules but when he did, she turned around and was attacked as well. She was knocked to the ground and got bound and gagged. The couple was dragged to another car (different from the one Ed and Greg were in) and they started to drive away.

Spike and Leah were close to the road. Spike's fear of woods, despite how small the forest was, pumped his adrenaline more as he thought about what he would do to Alan when he got his hands on him. Interrupting his thoughts, Leah said, "Spike I have something here. Just north of your position."

"Copy," Spike replied as he ran north to meet up with Leah. "Leah you there?" She hadn't answered him for a while. When he got to her location, he saw her bound and gagged and being held by a gang member. Before he could react, another gang member jumped him and put a gag over his mouth. The smell he recognized, working around chemicals to understand them in bomb-making: chloroform. He tried to fight the man but this was a BIG guy and Spike knew he'd be defeated, but he fought anyway. He eventually passed out and went soundly to sleep.

Spike woke up in a haze. His mouth was shut with duct tape and his hands tied up to a beam. His feet were tied, so he was on his knees. He looked around the room he was in and saw the rest of his team in the same position he was in. They were in a row, because of the bar their hands were tied to, in order: Ed, Sarge, Sam, Jules, Leah. None of them, including him, was wearing their vests or sidearms.

"Hahahahahahaha..." evil laughter was heard throughout the room. Spike recognized the voice, even though it was ten months ago he knew it was Alan. The serial killer entered the room, welding a knife and swinging it in his hand.

"You found out my plan," he told Spike. "Kill the gang member and get you and your pathetic team to find _me._ I'm in _complete_ control here. Just like ten months ago. Oh, I still get chills from that day, your screams help me sleep at night."

Spike cringed at the remark as he remember that day: the pain, the scars, the blood. Alan ripped the tape off of Spike, then he walked over to the rest of the team and placed his knife on Ed's shoulder.

"Because of your obsession with me, you evidently brought your team into this mess. Now I have more victims to play with. Who shall I use first?" He looked at Spike as he crossed his knife gently over each member of Team One. Spike wasn't flinching at any of the gestures. They were all important to him, but if he reacted, Alan would take his rage on them, not to mention Alan had already taken the most important person from Spike.

"None of them matter to you?" Alan asked cynically.

"You know what mattered to me," Spike said tiredly.

"So what are you saying?"

"Take me instead."

"You're willing to sacrifice yourself in order to protect them?"

"Yes."

"Even ending your own life and not growing old?"

"Yes."

Alan walked over to Spike and put the knife to his throat. Alan raised the knife, ready to stab Spike in the chest. "Tell Cass I said hi. I win again." Spike closed his eyes, even though he was scared to die, he thought this was the best thing for his team, his family.

"NO!"

Something jumped in front of Spike and shielded him from the blade. Alan stopped before he could hit anything. Spike opened his eyes and saw long, blond hair. Their head was in his chest, breathing heavily and holding him tight. Spike recognized the breathing, the smell. The person looked up and met his eyes. _Those_ eyes, he thought. _It can't be..._

"Cass?"

* * *

**SHE'S ALIVE AND THEY ARE BACK TOGETHER! THIS CHAPTER MIGHT BE SHORT BUT FOR GOOD REASON. THE NEXT CHAPTER SHOWS WHAT A TEAM IS REALLY ABOUT, PROTECTING THOSE YOU LOVE. STAY TUNED...**


	12. This is MY Team

**NOTE: ALAN PAID THE GANGSTERS TO GET THE TEAM TO THE ABANDONED BUILDING.**

**Previously...**

**Spike found a lead on Alan but it was a trap for Team One to go to him. They are trapped and Spike was ready to sacrifice himself for his team. Ready to make the kill shot, someone jumped out in front of Spike and Alan, saving Spike.**

* * *

_Twenty-four hours earlier..._

_Cass was watching news television, mostly Toronto news. She still loved the city and missed the team, and hoped to see them on the screen. Watching TV as she breastfed her infant son, the newsman spoke of a shooting._

_"In other news, a gang member was shot dead in Toronto. Police say there is evidence that is connected to a case that was solved years ago. If anyone has any information on this case, please call the Toronto Police or Crime Stoppers."_

_The news showed a calling card with Alan's signature on it: the heart and X. She froze in fear, realizing what he was doing. _

_"He's going to get him alone and kill him. With Spike looking for him, word's bound to get out and he's going to not only him, but the team too. Spike, what have you done?"_

_She started to pack a go-bag for herself and the baby. She went to the train station in Moncton, for that's where she was stationed, and bought tickets for herself and the baby. She got on the train and got a seat near a window. She looked out the window as the train started rolling to Montreal. She would get off the train in Montreal and would get on another one to Toronto. She like taking the train for transportation, it was calming and therapeutic for her. _

_All she could do was think about what Alan could have possibly planned. She knew he liked control and wanted to show how powerful he was. By taking Spike or the team would prove that. She shook her leg, trying to calm herself down. She knew she had to relax, so she put her head back on the chair and breathed. Emotion after emotion went through her: she was happy to see the team, overjoyed to see Michael, terrified to see Alan. The trip was quiet, the baby sleeping soundly.  
_

_She got off the train when it got to Montreal and got on another one headed for Toronto. She called a daycare and car rental lot, she got the numbers before she left. The baby would go there to be protected and the car so she could follow Spike or Alan, whoever she found first. She asked that the car be at Union Station when she got there. Finally getting to Toronto, she power-walked to the entrance of the building and, passing and bumping everyone, she found her car waiting like she asked. She put her bags and baby in the backseat and drove to the daycare to drop of her son. She told them that no one is to take him off the property and only she could take her son out. If someone said they were coming for her, call the police no matter what. _

_She got back in her car and drove to the SRU HQ. She parked __a ways away so as not attract attention to her. She saw Spike's car in the parking lot. She remembered their first kiss, quick but passionate and real. Then she heard a horn blaring and three black SUVs came rolling out of garage; Team One was on a Hot Call. She followed them via car and they led her to Queen's Park. She saw them break into teams of three as they ventured into the bush of the park. She noticed a large vehicle parked near the curb of the road and two gangsters crawled out of the back. They had guns and were following Ed and Sarge. She knew that Alan had paid gangsters to do his dirty work; he had endless funds. She waited until she saw Ed and Sarge tied and gagged and thrown into the back of the vehicle. It drove away and she followed it. _

_It led her to an abandoned building where two more large vehicles were waiting. More gangsters came out and dragged Team One into the building. The gang came back out and she saw Alan come out as well. She saw him pay the gangsters a large bag of cash and they drove off in the vehicles. Alan went back in the building and she got out of her car and went inside as well. She quietly followed him and found a different route showing her a different angle on him. She saw her team tied and gagged, Alan crossing his knife over the team. Spike was saying that he would sacrifice himself for his team._

"He thinks I'm dead," _she thought to herself. _"That's why he's doing this."

_Alan steadied his knife and lifted it to make the kill shot. Cass ran out of her hiding spot yelling "NO!" and going in front of Spike, shielding him. She breathed heavy, hanging on to him tightly. She could smell the fear on Spike but the fear went away when she lifted her head up and he saw who ran out to protect him._

"Cass?" Spike whispered.

"Yeah," she replied. "It's me." She turned to Alan and stood her ground. "Listen here Alan, this is MY team and NO ONE hurts them! You want them, come and get me!"

"Okay," Alan said as he lunged himself towards her. He tried to stab her but she managed to grab the knife and kick him to the ground. With the knife she cut Spike free and told him to free the others. Alan grabbed her and threw her across the room. Spike was hesitant to save her or his team, but she yelled, "The team! The team!" He went over and started to free his team, one member at a time.

Alan dragged Cass into another room when she told Spike to free the others. He threw her to the ground and started to kick her in her stomach. She cried out in pain with every blow but she kept it together; she knew it was a fight to the death. He was ready to kick her again, but she grabbed his leg when it was up and vulnerable and turned it to knock him to the ground. He shrieked as he hit the floor and Cass got on top of him. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and stared at him and said, "My team." He gloated, "Is that all you got you bit-?"

She punched his jaw before he could finish his sentence. She kept punching while she thought about all the people's lives changed because of him. Each blow brought back a memory: the original victims, her team, Spike, herself. She got lost in each blow, her mind eventually going into a blur. She kept hitting him, banging his head on the pavement. She was past angry, emotions of revenge and justice flooded her with every drop of blood that came out of him. Still fighting back she felt someone pull her off him. She tried to fight whoever was pulling her off, thinking it was a gangster. Yelling at them to let her go but she stopped fighting when she recognized the voice.

"Cass stop! Stop!" Ed yelled at her. He and Sam were trying to pull her off. Sam yelled, "it's over," then said it again but more calmly. Cass started to cry in their arms, her arms stiff and clutched. Her nemesis was dead, his brains and blood covering the floor. She looked up at them.

"Michael," she asked concerned. "Where is he?"

"Come on," Sam said as he and Ed helped her walk to the other room to reunite with her second family. She saw them all in awe, Jules and Leah were crying tears of sand and Greg was standing with Spike. Spike looked at Cass in disbelief. _She's alive, _he thought. Cass walked towards Spike, he just kept staring at her trying absorb the fact that someone he truly loved was always there. They were face to face, Cass crying and Spike started to too.

"I'm so sorry Michael," she said as she wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her like he never did before. Both were crying in each other's arms, happy to see each other.

"I think it's time to go," Sarge said as they all walked out of the building to find help.

* * *

Dealing with red tape about if the situation was handled properly and talking with Protective Custody, Team One was cleared for duty. Cass had minor injuries so she didn't have to go stay in the hospital for long. Spike visited her in her hospital bed before she was discharged the next day. He walked in and closed the door behind him.

"Hey you," he said.

"Spike," she stuttered. "I don't know where to start."

"It's okay," he took her hand and rubbed it. "You were protecting us. I'm just glad you're back." He kissed her forehead.

"I'm glad you understand that, cause I need you to understand what I'm going to tell you now. Ten months ago when we... You know..." He nodded and smiled. "I got pregnant." Hs face had shock on it.

"I never told you because I was scared. I planned to tell you but Alan contacted me and if he knew I was pregnant, he would have taken me and tortured the baby. I delivered to full term and he's healthy and beautiful."

"HE? I'm a father? I have a son?" he covered his mouth and let the information he heard absorb in his mind. "Where is he?"

"He's in the daycare here. Did you want to see him?"

"Please! Together." Spike helped Cass into her wheelchair and rolled her and himself to the daycare. They got there and there were a handful of kids playing. She pointed to the kid with the full head of thick, brunette hair. The caretaker there noticed Cass and gave the baby to her. She held her son and looked at Spike.

"Wanna hold him?" He nodded and she gave the baby to him. He took him carefully and imagined it more precious than holding a lit piece of dynamite.

"What's his name?"

"Todd. Todd Dominique Scarlatti."

"Todd," Spike repeated. "I love you." He kissed his son's forehead. He looked down at Cass and got down at her level.

"Cassidy Maclaren will you marry me?"

"Michael," she sobbed in joy. "Yes. Yes I will!" They carefully hugged each other so as not to crush the baby. They kissed and enjoyed the moment together.

* * *

**CASS AND SPIKE ARE GETTING MARRIED! THEY ARE TOGETHER AGAIN! MORE CHAPTERS TO COME TO FINISH STORY. **


	13. Forever Yours

**SORRY THIS CHAPTER TOOK SO LONG. JUST GOT A VIOLIN AND I HAVE BEEN PRACTICING LIKE MAD! HERE'S TO MY VIEWERS FOR THEIR PATIENCE! **

* * *

Spike and Cass agreed that they didn't want a big church with hundreds of flowers and an expensive reception. But she did agree on a long, silky wedding dress and he agreed to a honeymoon in Italy. Cass went dress shopping with Jules, Leah and Winnie who were going to be her bridesmaids. The ladies were searching through each dress to find the perfect one.

"How about this one?" Winnie asked pulling out a short dress with frills on it.

"Mmm..." Cass said. "Not big on the short dresses."

"This one?" Leah pulled out a skintight dress.

"Please tell me you're kidding! This," she pointed at her derrière, "is huge when pressed. It'll stick out and make good use for target practice."

"OOOHHHH," Leah giggled. "So I guess Spike would like this one."

"You wouldn't know what he likes now would you?" She smiled and winked at the question.

"I think I have it," Jules said as she pulled out a dress. It was long, puffy at the top where it goes out, wavy fabric coming out of the puff, a big bow on her lower back and gloves that went past the elbows. Cass looked at the dress and gasped.

"Oh Jules! I love it! I'll try it on!" Cass grabbed the dress from Jules and ran into the change room to try it on. She got it on and looked at herself in the mirror in the small room. She studied it, turned around to get a better look at it and stepped out for the girls to see. They 'ohh' and 'awe' at the dress.

"Oh Cass, you're beautiful!" Winnie said.

"Spike will like that," Leah said.

"Thank you everyone for the help, especially you Jules!" Cass hugged her girlfriends.

"No problem. I'm just glad we could decide on the bridesmaid dresses. Light blue was a good choice."

"Well it _is _my favourite colour."

* * *

"Alright thank you," Spike said as he hung up the phone. He was talking to the travel agent that would get them a deal on their trip to Italy. Ed and Sam were with him, helping him in any way they could. After hanging up, he linked his fingers together, almost feeling uneasy.

"Spike," Ed said to him, patting his shoulder. "You don't have to worry about marriage if that's what worrying you."

"Yeah," Sam added. "And even if she does dump you on the wedding day, Babycakes will be there waiting for you."

"Very funny Sammy," Spike glared at Sam. "I'm not worrying about marriage, I guess about being a parent. What if I suck? What if I don't get a relationship with my kid or kids?"

"Michelangelo you listen to me," Ed grabbed Spike's shoulders and faced him. "You are a good guy. You love Cass and you're going to love your kids. You are going to make a great parent."

Spike grabbed Ed's hand on his shoulder and patted it and said, "thank you."

* * *

Wedding day was here and Spike was at the alter ready to marry the love of his life. Cass was in the back doing final touches when someone knocked on the door of her room. She told them it was open and Greg walked through the door.

"You wanted to see me Cassidy?" He asked. "Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now."

"No, no I wanted to ask you something. You know my family isn't that close, since they aren't here and you guys are all I have. I was wondering if you would give me away? I thought you because you helped me and understood me when I felt no one else did. You're like a father to me Sarge."

Greg took her hands and rubbed them in his. "You're so sweet. I will give you away." Cass was ready to cry. "Don't cry yet. Save it for the ceremony." She laughed and patted her eyes with a tissue. Greg left the room and went to the front of the church.

The ceremony was about to start. Sam stood next to Spike since he was his best man and held the ring safe and sound. The organist sat at the bench of the small organ and started playing "Here Comes the Bride" and the front doors of the church opened up. Out came Cass with her big, gloved wedding dress on with Greg holding her arm. They walked down the aisle, she smiled at her futrue husband, showing her teeth. He loved it when she showed her teeth when she smiled. She saw her bridesmaid: Jules, Leah and Winnie tearing up when she was walking towards them. She got to the alter and handed her flower bouquet to Greg. He kissed her cheek, told her she was beautiful and went to meet Ed at the side. She went to Spike and grabbed his hands. She whispered hi to him and he whispered hi back to her.

"We are gathered here today to join these two in holy matrimony," the preacher said starting. After saying the speech, Spike and Cass said their vows to each other.

"Cassidy Maclaren, I vow to always love you. From the moment I saw you I thought you were the most beautiful woman I ever saw. Now I _know_ you're the most beautiful woman. I always thought I'd grow old alone, but you reminded me what true love really is and that it still exists. When I'm with you I feel complete and when I'm not, I think about you being near me, you telling me that I was the best thing that happened to you. I say that about you!"

"Michelangelo Scarlatti, I vow to always be yours. You are such a good friend and you told me what a good friend is: they're always there for you. You are the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing when I fall asleep, if I ever _do_ get to sleep. I will always be there when you need me, for past, present and future. My heart skips a beat when you touch me and my breath stops when you kiss me."

"And by the power invested in me I now pronounce you husband and wife. Michael, kiss Wonder Girl now."

Cass turned her head at the priest in shock. _Who rewrote the priest's line? _She thought. She turned her head to Sam who looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. He looked up to the ceiling, trying not to look at Cass and laugh. She ignored his smirks as she leaned into Spike and kissed him to make the marriage official. Everyone in the room applauded.

At the reception, the best man Sam went up to give his 'best man speech'.

"Ladies and gentlemen and reverend. Can you believe Spike is _actually_ married, and to such a beautiful woman? When Spike first saw Cass, he was frozen in love. I've known Spike for over six years and have known him to be a good friend. He's the one to brighten everyone's day, despite how bad it may seem. And when Cass came into our lives, she brightened everyone up too, Spike the most; he was already getting a glow when he looked at her. So I purpose a toast to everyone who made this day possible, the bridesmaids who look exquisite, especially _my_ wife, and to the happy couple. May many healthy and happy years bless you two. We love you." Everyone applauded at Sam's speech.

* * *

**I** **KNOW THAT THIS IS PROBABLY SHORT BUT I NEEDED TO UPDATE. NEXT IS THE HONEYMOON. HOPE EVERYONE LIKED THE WEDDING AND THE SPEECH. REVIEW IN THE COMMENTS. FINGERS CROSSED THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UP SOON.**


	14. Mr Scarlatti and Two Mrs Scarlattis

**THE TWO NEWLYWEDS ARE HONEYMOONING IN ITALY AND SPIKE HAS A SURPRISE FOR CASS. P.S. TODD, THEIR LOVE CHILD, IS BEING TAKEN CARE OF BY WINNIE WHEN THEY'RE GONE.**

* * *

The next day after the wedding, the two young Scarlattis arrived in Italy. They got off the plane and used a rental car lot get to the hotel. During the drive, Cass looked out the passenger window at the view. _So beautiful_ she thought. She knew since she was eighteen years old that she would marry an Italian guy: she knew some words from her music, she enjoyed the food and they see the real beauty of women. They got to the hotel and were escorted to their room. When they got there, they unpacked their bags and Spike said he wanted to take her to the beach but to keep her casual clothes on. He brought a towel when they left the room. They drove to the beach and saw the sun at the top of the sky. They were ready to get out of the car but Spike told her to take her shoes off. She did, then they got out. He took her hand and they walked along the beach, their toes filling with sand. The water splashed against their feet, making Cass smile. She squeezed Spike's hand and got closer to him almost knocking him into the water.

"I noticed that it isn't busy," she noticed.

"I guess someone made sure the beach at this part was empty for us..." He smiled. She let go of his hand and wrapped it around his waist. A couple of minutes later, Spike slowed down and got behind Cass, he bend down and slipped his right arm under Cass' knees and his left arm on her back. He picked her up, making her shriek in excitement. He carried her twenty steps and turned around for her to see the footprints, her still being carried.

"Those footprints are us. Whenever you're weak or need help, I'll be there to carry you," Spike said to her.

"That's a two-way street Michael," Cass answered. She leaned in and kissed her husband. She wrapped her arms around his neck, but a little while later Spike lost his footing and they both fell in the water. They were both soaked as wave crashed over them, but they didn't mind so they both started laughing. Spike tried to get up on his knees but when he tried, another wave, stronger than the last one, crashed on his back causing him to land on Cass. She went back and stared at Spike.

"You think that was planned?" She asked.

"Probably not," he responded, brushing her hair behind her ear. "But I know this was." He pressed his lips on hers, she responded. They stopped when another wave crashed over them. "You think we should get out of the water before we either drown, get hypothermia or turn into raisins, or which ever one comes first?"

Cass chuckled as they got out of the water. They were soaked, their clothes and hair. Cass squeezed her hair out as they walked to the car. Spike grabbed the towel from the car but he thought they were just going to use it for their feet. _So much for that idea_ he thought. They dried off as best they could and drove back to the hotel to change into dry clothes. At the hotel, Cass was ready to change in the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" Spike asked.

"Changing." She paused. "Oh yeah we're married! Gotta get use to that."

"You're stuck with me for life."

"I know."

After changing they drove a ways to an address that belonged to Spike's mom.

"Now," he warned her, "my mom will want to hug and kiss you. She'll also want to know everything about you." They got to the door and the door opened showing a short, large Italian woman with her brunette hair in a bun.

"Mikey!" she exclaimed when she opened the door. "You came!" She swung her arms around Spike and kissed his cheeks. She turned to Cass and hugged her warmly. "So you must be Cassidy. Lovely." She kissed Cass' cheeks and invited the two in. The room was filled with the aroma of dinner and the house looked like a real Italian home, Cass thought. Spike's mom showed them to the kitchen table where the three sat down and started talking.

"So tell me about yourself," she asked Cass. "Any family?"

"Well I have an older sister. So I'm the youngest in my family, it was her, me and my mom when I turned eighteen. My parents separated but we were okay with it because we were all miserable and when we left, we felt so much better."

Cass talked about her love for music, how she played violin and piano and how she thought her son was so well brought up. "You have a wonderful son, Mrs. Scarlatti."

"Thank you sweetie, and you are very well mannered as well. Michelangelo you found yourself a good woman." This caused Spike to blush.

Dinner was done and they ate. Cass savoured every taste, enjoying the texture of each ingredient put into the work. After dinner, they said their goodbyes and the newlyweds left for the hotel. It was late by the time they got back, they had almost spent the whole day at Spike's mom place. "Your mom's a really nice lady." Spike smiled as he continued to drive.

They got to their room and held hands, staring at each other. "You know," he said, "I always knew you were a blonde."

"Really?" She said pretending to be amazed.

"So I was wondering if you had a scar."

"I have LOTS of scars. You'll have to be more specific."

"The one on your left leg."

"Oh THAT one. Did you want to see it?" They started to undress each other and she got on the bed face down. He laid next to her leg, caressing the scar on her leg.

"That's quite a scar," he said.

"That was quite a day. It reminds me where I've been, and it tells me where I don't have to go."

"That's really good," he said as he kissed her scar.

**The End.**

* * *

Well that's it I suppose. Hopefully my next story will be better? This was my first fanfic so hopefully I'll know what to do next time around. Thank you everyone who read this story and was putting up with me. My love goes out to all of you, especially dawnpritchard66 who REALLY enjoyed my story. I'm writing another one that has a crossover in it.

~TrueNight1025


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